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MISCELLANEOUS  TALES 


"  It's  Cobbs  !    It's  Cobbs  ! "  ckies  Master  Harry.     Page  182. 


children's 
Own    Library 


EDITED   BY 


J.  ELLIS  BURDICK 

WITH    A 

GENI.RAL    INTRODUCTION 

BY 

CHARLES  WELSH 

Editor  of  "The    Young   Folk's  Library,"    Author  of  "Right 
Reading  for    Children,"   etc. 


Volume   X 
MISCELLANEOUS  TALES 


NEW    YORK 

NATIONAL   LIBRARY   COMPANY 


Copyrighted,   1910,  by 
NATIONAL   LIBRARY   COMPANY 


V 

/2uU  Jrw  %      ui 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

Christmas  Stories  from  Dickens 
Wood's  Natural  History 


.  j 


Editor's  Introductory  Note 


Charles  Dickens,  the  greatest  English  novelist,  was  born 
February  7,  1812,  at  Landsport,  near  Portsmouth,  Eng- 
land. His  education  was  received  in  public  schools  and  he 
began  life  as  a  newspaper  reporter,  after  having  served  for 
a  time  as  a  clerk  in  an  attorney's  office.  His  "Pickwick 
Papers,"  published  in  1836-1837,  established  his  literary 
reputation.  From  that  time  on  until  his  death  on  June  9, 
1870,  at  Gadshill,  near  Rochester,  England,  he  continued 
to  write.  His  most  famous  work  is  "Pickwick  Papers,"  his 
best,  "The  Tale  of  Two  Cities,"  and  the  most  popular 
"Christmas  Stories."    He  is  buried  in  Westminster  Abbey. 

The  second  part  of  these  volumes  is  of  quite  a  different 
character  from  the  preceding  volumes.  Works  on  natural 
history  are  always  favorite  reading  with  the  young  and 
Rev.  J.  G.  Wood's  "Natural  History"  supplies  the  juvenile 
population  with  a  book  which  is  clear  in  its  arrangement 
and  gives  accurate  information.  The  illustrations  not  only 
give  the  reader  a  better  idea  of  the  creatures  than  any  mere 
descriptions  could  possibly  do,  but  are  very  attractive  as 
well.  While  these  sketches  are  necessarily  brief,  they  give 
all  the  necessary  information  as  to  the  habits  and  appear- 
ances of  the  creatures.    This  is  especially  true  of  the  birds 


INTBODUCTOBY  XOTE 

and  animals  of  the  United  States.  Mr.  Wood's  style  is 
admirably  suited  to  the  children  for  whom  it  was  intended 
and  at  the  same  time  it  is  agreeable  reading  for  their 

elders. 

•  -'.         -  -    -       -  ••-    .  -> » 


CHRISTMAS  STORIES 
By 

Charles  Dickens 


THE  CRICKET  ON 
THE  HEARTH. 


CHIRP  THE  FIRST. 

The  Kettle  began  it! 
Don't  tell  me  what  Mrs. 
Peerybingle  said.  I  know 
better.  M*:s.  Peerybingle 
may  leave  it  on  record  to 
the  end  of  time  that  she 
couldn't  say  which  of  them 
began  it ;  but  I  say  the  Ket- 
tle did.  I  ought  to  know,  I 
hope.  The  Kettle  began  it, 
full  five  minutes  by  the  little  waxy -faced  Dutch  clock 
in  the  corner  before  the  Cricket  uttered  a  chirp. 

As  if  the  clock  hadn't  finished  striking,  and  the  con- 
vulsive little  Haymaker  at  the  top  of  it,  jerking  away 
right  and  left  with  a  scythe,  in  front  of  a  Moorish  Pal- 


2  THE   CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH. 

ace,  hadn't  mowed  down  half  an  acre  of  imaginary  grass 
before  the  Cricket  joined  in  at  all! 

Why,  I  am  not  naturally  positive.  Every  one  knows 
that.  I  wouldn't  set  my  own  opinion  against  the  opin- 
ion of  Mrs.  Peerybingle,  unless  I  were  quite  sure,  on 
any  account  whatever.  But  this  is  a  question  of  fact. 
And  the  fact  is,  that  the  Kettle  began  it,  at  least  five 
minutes  before  the  Cricket  gave  any  sign  of  existence. 

Let  me  narrate  exactly  how  it  happened.  I  should 
have  proceeded  to  do  so,  in  my  very  first  word,  but  for 
this  plain  consideration — if  I  am  to  tell  a  story  I  must 
begin  at  the  beginning ;  and  how  is  it  possible  to  begin 
at  the  beginning,  without  beginning  at  the  Kettle  ? 

It  appeared  as  if  there  were  a  sort  of  match  between  the 
Kettle  and  the  Cricket.     And  this  is  how  it  came  about. 

Mrs.  Peerybingle  going  out  into  the  raw  twilight,  and 
clicking  over  the  wet  stones  in  a  pair  of  pattens,  filled 
the  Kettle  at  the  water-butt.  Presently  returning,  she 
set  the  Kettle  on  the  fire.  In  doing  which  she  lost  her 
temper,  for  the  water — being  uncomfortably  cold,  and 
in  that  slippy,  slushy,  sleety  state  wherein  it  seems  to 
penetrate  through  every  kind  of  substance,  patten  rings 
included — had  laid  hold  of  Mrs.  Peerybingle's  toes,  and 
even  splashed  her  legs. 

Besides,  the  Kettle  was  obstinate.  It  wouldn't  allow 
itself  to  be  adjusted  on  the  top  bar;  it  wouldn't  hear  of 
accommodating  itself  kindly  to  the  knobs  of  coal;  it 
would  lean  forward  with  a  drunken  air,  and  dribble,  a 
very  Idiot  of  a  Kettle,  on  the  hearth.     It  was  quarrel- 


THE   CRICKET  ON  THE  HEARTH.  3 

some;  and  hissed  and  spluttered  morosely  at  the  fire. 
To  sum  up  all,  the  lid,  resisting  Mrs.  Peerybingle  7s  fin- 
gers, first  of  all  turned  topsy-turvy,  and  then  dived  side- 
ways in — down  to  the  very  bottom  of  the  Kettle.  And 
the  hull  of  the  Royal  George  never  made  half  the  mon- 
strous resistance  to  coming  out  of  the  water,  which  the 
lid  of  that  Kettle  employed  against  Mrs.  Peerybingle 
before  she  got  it  up  again. 

It  looked  sullen  and  pig-headed  enough,  even  then; 
carrying  its  handle  with  an  air  of  defiance,  and  cocking 
its  spout  pertly  and  mockingly  at  Mrs.  Peerybingle,  as 
if  it  said,  "I  won't  boil.     Nothing  shall  induce  me !  " 

But  Mrs.  Peerybingle,  with  restored  good  humor, 
dusted  her  chubby  little  hands  against  each  other,  and 
sat  down  before  the  Kettle,  laughing.  Meantime,  the 
jolly  blaze  uprose  and  fell,  flashing  and  gleaming  on  the 
little  Haymaker  at  the  top  of  the  Dutch  clock,  until  one 
might  have  thought  he  stood  stock  still  before  the  Moor- 
ish Palace,  and  nothing  was  in  motion  but  the  flame. 

He  was  on  the  move,  however ;  and  had  his  spasms, 
two  to  the  second,  all  right  and  regular.  But  his  suffer- 
ings when  the  clock  was  going  to  strike,  were  frightful 
to  behold ;  and  when  a  Cuckoo  looked  out  of  a  trap-door 
in  the  Palace,  and  gave  note  six  times,  it  shook  him, 
each  time,  like  a  spectral  voice — or  like  a  something 
wiry,  plucking  at  his  legs. 

Now  it  was,  you  observe,  that  the  Kettle  began  to 
spend  the  evening.  Now  it  was,  that  the  Kettle,  grow- 
ing mellow  and  musical,  began  to  have  irrepressible 


4  THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH. 

gurglings  in  its  throat,  and  to  indulge  in  short  vocal 
snorts,  which  it  checked  in  the  bud,  as  if  it  hadn't  quite 
made  up  its  mind  yet,  to  be  good  company.  Now  it 
was,  that  after  two  or  three  such  vain  attempts  to  stifle 
its  convivial  sentiments,  it  threw  off  all  moroseness,  all 
reserve,  and  burst  into  a  stream  of  song  so  cosy  and  hil- 
arious, as  never  nightingale  yet  formed  the  least  idea  of. 

So  plain,  too !  Bless  you,  you  might  have  understood  it 
like  a  book.  With  its  warm  breath  gushing  forth  in  a 
light  cloud  which  merrily  ascended  a  few  feet,  then  hung 
about  the  chimney-corner  as  its  own  domestic  Heaven,  it 
trolled  its  song  with  that  strong  energy  of  cheerfulness, 
that  its  iron  body  hummed  and  stirred  upon  the  fire ; 
and  the  lid  itself,  the  recently  rebellious  lid,  performed 
a  sort  of  jig,  and  clattered  like  a  deaf  and  dumb  young 
cymbal  that  had  never  known  the  use  of  its  twin  brother. 

That  this  song  of  the  Kettle's,  was  a  song  of  invitation 
and  welcome  to  somebody  out  of  doors ;  to  somebody  at 
that  moment  coming  on,  toward  the  snug  small  home 
and  the  crisp  fire;  there  is  no  doubt  whatever.  Mrs. 
Peerybingle  knew  it,  perfectly,  as  she  sat  musing,  before 
the  hearth.  It's  a  dark  night,  sang  the  Kettle,  and  the 
rotten  leaves  are  lying  by  the  way ;  and  above,  all  is  mist 
and  darkness,  and  below,  all  is  mire  and  clay ;  and  the 
widest  open  country  is  a  long  dull  streak  of  black ;  and 
there's  hoar-frost  on  the  finger-post,  and  thaw  upon  the 
track;  and  the  ice  it  isn't  water,  and  the  water  isn't 
free;  and  you  couldn't  say  that  anything  is  what  it 
ought  to  be;  but  he's  coming,  coming,  coming! 


THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH.  5 

And  here,  if  you  like,  the  Cricket  did  chime  in !  with 
a  Chirrup,  Chirrup,  Chirrup  of  such  magnitude,  by  way 
of  chorus,  with  a  voice,  so  astoundingly  disproportionate 
to  its  size,  as  compared  with  the  Kettle,  that  if  it  had 
then  and  there  burst  itself  like  an  overcharged  gun ;  if  it 
had  fallen  a  victim  on  the  spot,  and  chirruped  its  little 
body  into  fifty  pieces :  it  would  have  seemed  a  natural 
and  inevitable  consequence. 

The  Kettle  had  had  the  last  of  its  solo  performance. 
It  persevered  with  undiminished  ardor ;  but  the  Cricket 
took  first  fiddle  and  kept  it.  Its  shrill,  sharp,  piercing 
voice  resounded  through  the  house,  and  seemed  to  twin- 
kle in  the  outer  darkness  like  a  Star.  There  was  an  in- 
describable little  trill  and  tremble  in  it,  at  its  loudest, 
which  suggested  its  being  carried  off  its  legs,  and  made 
to  leap  again,  by  its  own  intense  enthusiasm.  Yet  they 
went  very  well  together,  the  Cricket  and  the  Kettle. 
The  burden  of  the  song  was  still  the  same ;  and  louder 
louder,  louder  still,  they  sang  it  in  their  emulation. 

The  fair  little  listener,  for  fair  she  was,  and  young, 
lighted  a  candle ;  glanced  at  the  Haymaker  on  the  top  of 
the  clock,  who  was  getting  in  a  pretty  average  crop  of 
minutes ;  and  looked  out  of  the  window,  where  she  saw 
nothing,  owing  to  the  darkness,  but  her  own  face  imaged 
in  the  glass.  And  she  might  have  looked  a  long  way, 
and  seen  nothing  half  so  agreeable.  When  she  came 
back,  and  sat  down  in  her  former  seat,  the  Cricket  and 
the  Kettle  were  still  keeping  it  up,  with  a  perfect  fury 
of  competition. 


6  THE   CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH. 

There  was  all  the  excitement  of  a  race  about  it.  Chirp, 
chirp,  chirp!  Cricket  a  mile  ahead.  Hum,  hum,  hum 
— m— m!  Kettle  making  play  in  the  distance,  like  a 
great  top.  Chirp,  chirp,  chirp!  Cricket  round  the 
corner.  Hum,  hum,  hum — m — m!  Kettle  sticking  to 
him  in  his  own  way;  no  idea  of  giving  in.  Chirp,  chirp, 
chirp!  Cricket  fresher  than  ever.  Hum,  hum,  hum — 
m — m!  Kettle  slow  and  steady.  Chirp,  chirp,  chirp! 
Cricket  going  in  to  finish  him.     Hum,  hum,  hum — m — m ! 


Kettle  not  to  be  finished.  Until  at  last,  they  got  so 
jumbled  together  that  whether  the  Kettle  chirped  and 
the  Cricket  hummed,  or  the  Cricket  chirped  and  the 
Kettle  hummed,  or  they  both  chirped  and  both  hummed, 
it  would  have  taken  a  clearer  head  than  yours  or  mine 
to  have  decided.  But  of  this,  there  is  no  doubt:  that 
the  Kettle  and  the  Cricket  sent,  each  his  fireside  song  of 
comfort,  streaming  into  a  Tay  of  the  candle  that  shone 
out  through  the  window ;  and  a  long  way  down  the  lane. 
And  this  light,  bursting  on  a  certain  person  who,  on  the 
instant,  approached  toward  it  through  the  gloom,  ex 


THE   CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH.  7 

pressed  the  whole  thing  to  him,  literally  in  a  twinkling, 
and  cried,  "  Welcome  home,  old  fellow !  Welcome  home, 
my  Boy ! " 

This  end  attained,  the  Kettle,  being  dead  beat,  boiled 
over,  and  was  taken  off  the  fire.  Mrs.  Peerybingle  then 
went  running  to  the  door,  where,  what  with  the  wheels 
of  a  cart,  the  tramp  of  a  horse,  the  voice  of  a  man,  the 
tearing  in  and  out  of  an  excited  dog,  and  the  surprising 
and  mysterious  appearance  of  a  Baby,  there  was  soon 
the  very  What's-his-name  to  pay. 

Where  the  Baby  came  from,  or  how  Mrs.  Peerybingle 
got  hold  of  it  in  that  flash  of  time,  1  don't  know.  But 
a  live  Baby  there  was,  in  Mrs.  Peerybingle's  arms;  and 
a  pretty  tolerable  amount  of  pride  she  seemed  to  have  in 
it,  when  she  was  drawn  gently  to  the  fire,  by  a  sturdy 
figure  of  a  man,  much  taller  and  much  older  than 
herself;  who  had  to  stoop  a  long  way  down,  to  kiss 
her. 

"Oh  goodness,  John!"  said  Mrs.  P.  "What  a  state 
you're  in  with  the  weather!  " 

He  was  something  the  worse  for  it,  undeniably.  The 
thick  mist  hung  in  clots  upon  his  eyelashes ;  and  between 
the  fog  and  fire  together,  there  were  rainbows  in  his 
very  whiskers. 

"Why,  you  see,  Dot,"  John  made  answer,  slowly,  as 
he  unrolled  a  shawl  from  about  his  throat ;  and  warmed 
his  hands;  "it — it  an't  exactly  summer  weather.  So  no 
wonder. " 

"I  wish  you  wouldn't  call  me  Dot,  John.     I  don't  like 


8 


THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH. 


it, "  said  Mrs.  Peerybingle :  pouting  in  a  way  that  clearly 
showed  she  did  like  it  very  much. 

"  Why  what  else  are  you  %  "  returned  John,  looking 
down  upon  her  with  a  smile,  and  giving  her  waist  as 
light  a  squeeze  as  his  huge  hand  and  arm  could  give. 
"A  dot  and" — here  he  glanced  at  the  Baby — "a  dot  and 
carry — I  won't  say  it,  for  fear  I 
should  spoil  it ;  but  I  was  very  near 
a  joke.  I  don't  know  as  ever  I  was 
nearer." 

He  was  often  near  to  something  or 
other  very  clever,  by  his  own  account : 
this  lumbering,  slow,  honest  John. 
This  John,  so  heavy  but  so  light  of 
spirit;  so  rough  upon  the  surface, 
but  so  gentle  at  the  core;  so  dull 
without,  so  quick  within;  so  stolid, 
but  so  good ! 

It  was  pleasant  to  see  Dot,  with 
her  little  figure  and  her  Baby  in  her 
arms,  glancing  with  a  coquettish 
thoughtfulness  at  the  fire,  and  inclin- 
ing her  delicate  little  head  just 
enough  on  one  side  to  let  it  rest  in  an  odd,  half -natural, 
half-affected,  wholly  nestling  and  agreeable  manner, 
on  the  great  rugged  figure  of  the  Carrier.  It  was 
pleasant  to  see  him,  with  his  tender  awkwardness, 
endeavoring  to  adapt  his  rude  support  to  her  slight  need, 
and  make  his  burly  middle-age  a  leaning-staff  not  inap- 


THE    CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH.  9 

propriate  to  her  blooming  youth.  It  was  pleasant  to 
observe  how  Tilly  Slowboy,  waiting  in  the  background 
for  the  Baby,  took  special  cognizance  of  this  grouping. 
Nor  was  it  less  agreeable  to  observe  how  John  the  Car- 
rier, reference  being  made  by  Dot  to  the  aforesaid  Baby, 
checked  his  hand  when  on  the  point  of  touching  the 
infant,  as  if  he  thought  he  might  crack  it ;  and  bending 
down,  surveyed  it  from  a  safe  distance  with  a  kind  of 
puzzled  pride,  such  as  an  amiable  mastiff  might  be  sup- 
posed to  show,  if  he  found  himself,  one  day,  the  father 
of  a  young  canary. 

"An't  he  beautiful,  John?  Don't  he  look  precious 
in  his  sleep ! " 

"Very  precious,"  said  John.  "Very  much  so.  He 
generally  is  asleep,  an't  he?  " 

"Lor,  John?     Good  gracious  no!  " 

"Oh,"  said  John,  pondering.  "I  thought  his  eyes 
was  generally  shut.     Halloa !  " 

"Goodness,  John,  how  you  startle  one!" 

"  It  an't  right  for  him  to  turn  'em  up  in  that  way !  " 
said  the  astonished  Carrier,  "Is  it?  See  how  he's  wink- 
ing with  both  of  'em  at  once !  and  look  at  his  mouth ! 
why  he's  gasping  like  a  gold  and  silver  fish! " 

"You  don't  deserve  to  be  a  father,  you  don't,"  said 
Dot,  with  all  the  dignity  of  an  experienced  matron. 
And  when  she  had  turned  the  Baby  over  on  her  left 
arm,  and  had  slapped  its  back  as  a  restorative,  she 
pinched  her  husband's  ear,  laughing. 

"No,"  said  John,   pulling  off  his  outer  coat.     "It's 


10  THE    CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH. 

very  true,  Dot.  I  don't  know  much  about  it.  I  only 
know  that  I've  been  fighting  pretty  stiffly  with  the  Wind 
to-night.  It's  been  blowing  northeast,  straight  into  the 
oart,  the  whole  way  home." 

"  Poor  old  man,  so  it  has ! "  cried  Mrs.  Peerybingle, 
instantly  becoming  very  active.  "Here!  Take  the 
precious  darling,  Tilly,  while  I  make  myself  of  some 
use.  Bless  it,  I  could  smother  it  with  kissing  it;  I 
could!  Hie  then,  good  dog!  Hie,  Boxer,  boy!  Only 
let  me  make  the  tea  first,  John ;  and  then  I'll  help  you 
with  the  parcels  like  a  busy  bee.  '  How  doth  the  little  ' 
-  -and  all  the  rest  of  it,  you  know,  John.  Did  you  ever 
learn  '  how  doth  the  little '  when  you  went  to  school, 
John?" 

"Not  to  quite  know  it,"  John  returned.  "I  was  very 
near  it  once.  But  I  should  only  have  spoilt  it,  I  dare 
say." 

"Ha,  ha!"  laughed  Dot.  She  had  the  blithest  little 
laugh  you  ever  heard.  "  What  a  dear  old  darling  of  a 
dunce  you  are,  John,  to  be  sure !  " 

Not  at  all  disputing  this  position,  John  went  out  to  see 
that  the  boy  with  the  lantern,  which  had  been  dancing 
to  and  fro  before  the  door  and  window,  like  a  Will  of 
the  Wisp,  took  due  care  of  the  horse.  Boxer,  feeling 
that  his  attentions  were  due  to  the  family  in  general,  and 
must  be  impartially  distributed,  dashed  in  and  out  with 
bewildering  inconstancy. 

"There!  There's  the  teapot,  ready  on  the  hob!  "  said 
Dot,  as  briskly  busy  as  a  child  at  play  at  keeping  house. 


THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH. 


11 


"And  there's  the  cold  knuckle  of  ham;  and  there's  the 
butter;  and  there's  the  crusty  loaf,  and  all!  Here's  a 
clothes-basket  for  the  small  parcels,  John,  if  you've  got 
any  there— where  are  you,  John?  Don't  let  the  dear 
child  fall  under  the  grate,  Tilly,  whatever  you  do !  " 

It  may  be  noted  of  Miss  Slowboy,  in  spite  of  her  re- 
jecting the  caution  with  some  vivacity,  that  she  had  a 
rare  and  surprising  talent  for  getting  this  Baby  into 
difficulties,  and  had  several  times  imperilled  its  short 

life,  in  a  quiet  way  pecul- 
iarly her  own.  She  was 
of  a  spare  and  straight 
shape,  this  young  lady, 
insomuch  that  her  gar- 
ments appeared  to  be  in 
constant  danger  of  slid- 
ing off  those  sharp  pegs, 
her  shoulders,  on  which 
they  were  loosely  hung. 
Being  always  in  a  state  of 
gaping  admiration  at  everything,  and  absorbed,  besides,  in 
the  perpetual  contemplation  of  her  mistress'  perfections 
and  the  Baby's,  Miss  Slowboy,  in  her  little  errors  of 
judgment,  may  be  said  to  have  done  equal  honor  to  her 
head  and  to  her  heart ;  and  though  these  did  less  honor 
to  the  Baby's  head,  which  they  were  the  occasional  means 
of  bringing  into  contact  with  deal  doors,  dressers,  stair- 
rails,  bedposts,  and  other  foreign  substances,  still  they 
were  the  honest  results  of  Tilly  Slowboy 's  constant  as 


12  THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH. 

tonishment  at  finding  herself  so  kindly  treated,  and  in- 
stalled in  such  a  comfortable  home.  For  the  maternal 
and  paternal  Slowboy  were  alike  unknown  to  Fame, 
and  Tilly  had  been  bred  by  public  charity,  a  Found- 
ling. 

To  have  seen  little  Mrs.  Peerybingle  come  back  with 
her  husband ;  tugging  at  the  clothes-basket,  and  making 
the  most  strenuous  exertions  to  do  nothing  at  all  (for  he 
carried  it)  ;  would  have  amused  you,  almost  as  much  as 
it  amused  him.  It  may  have  entertained  the  Cricket  too, 
for  anything  I  know;  but,  certainly,  it  now  began  to 
chirp  again,  vehemently. 

"  Heyday !  "  said  John,  in  his  slow  way.  "  It's  merrier 
than  ever,  to-night,  I  think. " 

"And  it's  sure  to  bring  us  good  fortune,  John!  It 
always  has  done  so.  To  have  a  Cricket  on  the  Hearth  is 
the  luckiest  thing  in  all  the  world !  " 

John  looked  at  her  as  if  he  had  very  nearly  got  the 
thought  into  his  head,  that  she  was  his  Cricket-in-chief, 
and  he  quite  agreed  with  her.  But  it  was  probably  one 
of  his  narrow  escapes,  for  he  said  nothing. 

"The  first  time  I  heard  its  cheerful  little  note,  John, 
was  on  that  night  when  you  brought  me  home — when 
you  brought  me  to  my  new  home  here ;  its  little  mistress. 
Nearly  a  year  ago.     You  recollect,  John  !  " 

"Oh  yes."    John  remembered.     "I  should  think  so !  " 

"Its  chirp  was  such  a  welcome  to  me!  It  seemed  so 
full  of  promise  and  encouragement.  It  seemed  to  say, 
you  would  be  kind  and  gentle  with  me  and  would  not 


THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH.  13 

expect  (I  had  a  fear  of  that,  John,  then)  to  find  an  old 
head  on  the  shoulders  of  your  foolish  little  wife." 

John  thoughtfully  patted  one  of  the  shoulders,  and 
then  the  head,  as  though  he  would  have  said,  No,  !No ; 
he  had  had  no  such  expectation ;  he  had  been  quite  con- 
tent to  take  them  as  they  were. 

"  It  spoke  the  truth,  John,  when  it  seemed  to  say  so : 
for  you  have  ever  been  the  best,  the  most  affectionate  of 
husbands.  This  has  been  a  happy  home,  John ;  and  I 
love  the  Cricket  for  its  sake ! " 

"  Why  so  do  I,  then, "  said  the  Carrier.    "  So  do  I,  Dot. " 

"  I  love  it  for  the  many  times  I  have  heard  it,  and  the 
many  thoughts  its  harmless  music  has  given  me.  Some- 
times, in  the  twilight,  when  I  have  felt  a  little  solitary 
and  down-hearted,  John,  and  when  I  used  to  fear — I  did 
fear  once,  John;  I  was  very  young,  you  know — that 
ours  might  prove  to  be  an  ill-assorted  marriage:  I  being 
such  a  child,  and  you  more  like  my  guardian  than  my 
husband :  and  that  you  might  not,  however  hard  you 
tried,  be  able  to  learn  to  love  me,  as  you  hoped  and 
prayed  you  might ;  its  Chirp,  Chirp,  Chirp,  has  cheered 
me  up  again,  and  filled  me  with  new  trust  and  confi- 
dence. I  was  thinking  of  these  things  to-night,  dear, 
when  I  sat  expecting  you ;  and  I  love  the  Cricket  for 
their  sake ! " 

"And  so  do  I, "  repeated  John.  "But  Dot?  /hope 
and  pray  that  I  might  learn  to  love  you?  How  you 
talk !  I  had  learnt  that,  long  before  I  brought  you  here, 
to  be  the  Cricket's  little  mistress,  Dot! " 


14  THE   CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH. 

She  laid  her  hand,  an  instant,  on  his  arm,  and  looked 
up  at  him  with  an  agitated  face,  as  if  she  would  have 
told  him  something.  Next  moment,  she  was  down  upon 
her  knees  before  the  basket;  speaking  in  a  sprightly 
voice,  and  busy  with  the  parcels. 

"There  are  not  many  of  them  to-night,  John,  but  I 
saw  some  goods  behind  the  cart,  just  now;  and  though 
they  give  more  trouble,  perhaps,  still  they  pay  as  well ; 
so  we  have  no  reason  to  grumble,  have  we?  Besides, 
you  have  been  delivering,  I  dare  say,  as  you  came 
along  ?  " 

"Oh  yes,"  John  said.     "A  good  many." 

"Why  what's  this  round  box?  Heart  alive,  John  it's 
a  wedding-cake ! " 

"Leave  a  woman  alone,  to  find  out  that,"  said  John, 
admiringly.  "Now  a  man  would  never  have  thought  of 
it!  whereas,  it's  my  belief  that  if  you  was  to  pack  a 
wedding-cake  up  in  a  tea-chest,  or  a  turn-up  bedstead, 
or  a  pickled  salmon  keg,  or  any  unlikely  thing,  a  woman 
would  be  sure  to  find  it  out  directly.  Yes;  I  called  for 
it  at  the  pastry-cook's." 

"And  it  weighs  I  don't  know  what — whole  hundred- 
weights ! "  cried  Dot,  making  a  great  demonstration  of 
trying  to  lift  it.  "Whose  is  it,  John?  Where  is  it 
going  ?  " 

"Bead  the  writing  on  the  other  side,"  said  John. 

"Why,  John!    My  Goodness,  John!" 

"Ah!  who'd  have  thought  it!  "  John  returned. 

"You  never  mean  to  say,"  pursued  Dot,  sitting  on  the 


THE  CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH.  15 

floor  and  shaking  her  head  at  him,  "that  it's  Gruff  and 
Tackleton  the  toymaker  f  " 

John  nodded. 

Mrs.  Peerybingle  nodded  also,  fifty  times  at  least. 
Not  in  assent :  in  dumb  and  pitying  amazement ;  screw- 
ing up  her  lips  the  while  with  all  their  little  force,  and 
looking  the  good  Carrier  through  and  through,  in  her 
abstraction. 

Miss  Slowboy,  in  the  mean  time,  who  had  a  mechani- 
cal power  of  reproducing  scraps  of  current  conversation 
for  the  delectation  of  the  Baby,  with  all  the  sense  struck 
out  of  them,  and  all  the  Nouns  changed  into  the  Plural 
number,  inquired  aloud  of  that  young  creature,  Was  it 
Gruifs  and  Tackletons  the  toymakers  then,  and  Would  it 
call  at  Pastry-cooks  for  wedding-cakes,  and  Did  its 
mothers  know  the  boxes  when  its  fathers  brought  them 
homes;  and  so  on. 

"And  that  is  really  to  come  about!"  said  Dot. 
"Why,  she  and  I  were  girls  at  school  together,  John." 

He  might  have  been  thinking  of  her  as  she  was  in  that 
same  school  time.  He  looked  upon  her  with  a  thought- 
ful pleasure,  but  he  made  no  answer. 

"And  he's  as  old!  As  unlike  her! — Why,  how  many 
years  older  than  you,  is  Gruff  and  Tackleton,  John!  " 

"  How  many  more  cups  of  tea  shall  I  drink  to-night  at 
one  sitting,  than  Gruff  and  Tackleton  ever  took  in  four, 
I  wonder!  "  replied  John,  good-humoredly,  as  he  drew  a 
chair  to  the  round  table,  and  began  at  the  cold  ham.  "  As 
to  eating,  I  eat  but  little;  but  that  little  I  enjoy,  Dot." 


16  THE   CRICKET   ON  THE    HEARTH. 

Even  this,  his  usual  sentiment  at  meal  times,  one  of 
his  innocent  delusions,  awoke  no  smile  in  the  face  of  his 
little  wife,  who  stood  among  the  parcels,  pushing  the 
cake-box  slowly  from  her  with  her  foot,  and  never  once 
looked  upon  the  dainty  shoe  she  generally  was  so  mind- 
ful of.  Absorbed  in  thought,  she  stood  there,  heedless 
alike  of  the  tea  and  John  (although  he  called  to  her,  and 
rapped  the  table  with  his  knife  to  startle  her),  until  he 
rose  and  touched  her  on  the  arm ;  when  she  looked  at 
him  for  a  moment,  and  hurried  to  her  place  behind  the 
teaboard,  laughing  at  her  negligence.  But  not  as  she 
had  laughed  before.  The  manner,  and  the  music,  were 
quite  changed. 

The  Cricket,  too,  had  stopped.  Somehow  the  room 
was  not  so  cheerful  as  it  had  been. 

"So,  these  are  all  the  parcels,  are  they,  Johnf"  she 
said,  breaking  a  long  silence. 

"That's  all,"  said  John.  "Why— no— I— »  laying 
down  his  knife  and  fork,  and  taking  a  long  breath. 
"I  declare — I've  clean  forgotten  the  old  gentleman! " 

"The  old  gentleman? " 

"In  the  cart,"  said  John.  "He  was  asleep,  among 
the  straw,  the  last  time  I  saw  him.  I've  very  nearly 
remembered  him,  twice,  since  I  came  in ;  but  he  went 
out  of  my  head  again.  Halloa!  Yahip  there!  rouse 
up !     That's  my  hearty !  V 

John  said  these  latter  words  outside  the  door,  whither 
he  had  hurried  with  the  candle  in  his  hand. 

Miss  Slowboy,  conscious  of  some  mysterious  reference 


THE   CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH.  17 

to  The  Old  Gentleman,  was  so  disturbed,  that  hastily 
rising  from  the  low  chair  by  the  fire  to  seek  protection 
near  her  mistress,  and  coming  into  contact  as  she  crossed 
the  doorway  with  an  ancient  Stranger,  she  instinctively 
made  a  charge  at  him  with  the  only  offensive  instrument 
within  her  reach.  This  instrument  happening  to  be  the 
Baby,  great  commotion  and  alarm  ensued,  which  the 
sagacity  of  Boxer  rather  tended  to  increase;  for  that 
good  dog,  more  thoughtful  than  his  master,  had,  it 
seemed,  been  watching  the  old  gentleman  in  his  sleep 
lest  he  should  walk  off  with  a  few  young  poplar  trees 
that  were  tied  up  behind  the  cart ;  and  he  still  attended 
on  him  very  closely ;  worrying  his  gaiters,  in  fact,  and 
making  dead  sets  at  the  buttons. 

"You're  such  an  undeniable  good  sleeper,  Sir,"  said 
John,  when  tranquillity  was  restored ;  in  the  mean  time 
the  old  gentleman  had  stood,  bareheaded  and  motionless, 
in  the  centre  of  the  room;  "that  I  have  half  a  mind  +o 
ask  you  where  the  other  six  are :  only  that  would  be  a 
joke,  and  I  know  I  should  spoil  it.  Very  near,  though," 
murmured  the  Carrier,  with  a  chuckle;  "very  near!" 

The  Stranger,  who  had  long  white  hair ;  good  features, 
singularly  bold  and  well  defined  for  an  old  man;  and 
dark,  bright,  penetrating  eyes;  looked  round  with  a 
smile,  and  saluted  the  Carrier's  wife  by  gravely  inclining 

his  head. 

■ 

His  garb  was  very  quaint  and  odd — a  long,  long  way 
behind  the  time.  Its  hue  was  brown  all  over.  In  his 
hand  he  held  a  great  brown  club  or  walking-stick ;  and 


18  THE    CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH. 

striking  this  upon  the  floor,  it  fell  asunder,  and  became 
a  chair.      On  which  he  sat  down  quite  composedly. 

"There!"  said  the  Carrier,  turning  to- his  wife. 
"That's  the  way  I  found  him,  sitting  by  the  roadside! 
upright  as  a  milestone.     And  almost  as  deaf. " 

"Sitting  in  the  open  air,  John!  " 

"In  the  open  air,"  replied  the  Carrier,  "just  at  dusk. 
f  Carriage  Paid, '  he  said ;  and  gave  me  eighteenpence. 
Then  he  got  in.     And  there  he  is. " 

"He's  going,  John,  I  think! " 

Not  at  all.     He  was  only  going  to  speak. 

"If  you  please,  I  was  to  be  left  till  called  for,"  said 
the  Stranger,  mildly.     "Don't  mind  me." 

With  that,  he  took  a  pair  of  spectacles  from  one  of 
his  large  pockets,  and  a  book  from  another ;  and  leis- 
urely began  to  read.  Making  no  more  of  Boxer  than  if 
he  had  been  a  house  lamb ! 

The  Carrier  and  his  wife  exchanged  a  look  of  perplex- 
ity. The  Stranger  raised  his  head ;  and  glancing  from 
the  latter  to  the  former,  said : 

"Your  daughter,  my  good  friend?  " 

"Wife,"  returned  John. 

"  Niece  ?  "  said  the  Stranger. 

"Wife,"  roared  John. 

"Indeed?"  observed  the  Stranger.  "Surely!  Very 
young ! " 

He  quietly  turned  over,  and  resumed  his  reading. 
But,  before  he  could  have  read  two  lines,  he  again  inter 
rupted  himself,  to  say: 


THE    CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH.  19 

"Baby,  yours V 

John  gave  him  a  gigantic  nod. 

"Girl?" 

"Bo-o-oy!"  roared  John. 

"Also  very  young,  eh?  " 

Mrs.  Peerybingle  instantly  struck  in.  "Two  months 
and  three  da-ays!  Vaccinated  just  six  weeks  ag-o! 
Took  very  fine-ly !  Considered  by  the  doctor,  a  remark- 
ably beautiful  chi-ild!  Equal  to  the  general  run  of 
children  at  five  months  o-old !  Takes  notice  in  a  way 
quite  won-der-ful!  May  seem  impossible  to  you,  but 
feels  his  legs  al-ready !  " 

Here  the  breathless  little  mother,  who  had  been 
shrieking  these  short  sentences  into  the  old  man's  ear 
until  her  pretty  face  was  crimsoned,  held  up  the  Baby 
before  him  as  a  stubborn  and  triumphant  fact. 

"  Hark  !       He's    called    for,     sure     enough,"     said 
John.      "There's    somebody    at    the    door.     Open 
Tilly." 

Before  she  could  reach  it,  however,  it  was  opened 
from  without;  being  a  primitive  sort  of  door,  with  a 
latch  that  any  one  could  lift  if  he  chose — and  a  good 
many  people  did  choose,  for  all  kinds  of  neighbors  liked 
to  have  a  cheerful  word  or  two  with  the  Carrier.  Being 
opened,  it  gave  admission  to  a  little,  meagre,  thoughtful, 
dingy-faced  man  who  seemed  to  have  made  himself  a 
great-coat  from  the  sack-cloth  covering  of  some  old  box, 
f  or  when  he  turned  to  shut  the  door  and  keep  the  weather 
out,  he  disclosed  upon  the  back  of  that  garment,  the  in- 


20  THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH. 

scrip tion  G  &  T  in  large  black  capitals.     Also  the  word 
GLASS  in  bold  characters. 

"Good  evening,  John!"  said  the  little  man.  "Good 
evening,  Mum.  Good  evening,  Tilly.  Good  evening, 
Unbeknown.  How's  Baby,  Mum!  Boxer's  pretty  well, 
I  hope?" 

"All  thriving,  Caleb,"  replied  Dot.  "I  am  sure  you 
need  only  look  at  the  dear  child,  for  one,  to  know  that." 

"And  I'm  sure  I  need  only  look  at  you  for  another," 
said  Caleb. 

He  didn't  look  at  her,  though ;  for  he  had  a  wander- 
ing and  thoughtful  eye  which  seemed  to  be  always  pro- 
jecting itself  into  some  other  time  and  place,  no  matter 
what  he  said ;  a  description  which  will  equally  apply  to 
his  voice. 

"  Or  at  John  for  another, "  said  Caleb.  "  Or  at  Tilly, 
as  far  as  that  goes.     Or  certainly  at  Boxer. " 

"Busy  just  now,  Caleb?  "  asked  the  Carrier. 

"  Why,  pretty  well,  John, "  he  returned,  with  the  dis- 
traught air  of  a  man  who  was  casting  about  for  the  Phi- 
losopher's stone  at  least.  "Pretty  much  so.  There's 
rather  a  run  on  Noah's  Arks  at  present.  I  could  have 
wished  to  improve  upon  the  Family,  but  I  don't  see  how 
it's  to  be  done  at  the  price.  It  would  be  a  satisfaction 
to  one's  mind  to  make  it  clearer  which  was  Shems  and 
Hams,  and  which  was  Wives.  Flies  an't  on  that  scale 
neither,  as  compared  with  elephants,  you  know.  Ah! 
well !  Have  you  got  anything  in  the  parcel  line  for  me, 
John!" 


THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH.  21 

The  Carrier  put  his  hand  into  a  pocket  of  the  coat  he 
had  taken  off ;  and  brought  out,  carefully  preserved  in 
moss  and  paper,  a  tiny  flower -pot. 

"There  it  is!"  he  said,  adjusting  it  with  great  care. 
"Not  so  much  as  a  leaf  damaged.     Full  of  Buds ! " 

Caleb's  dull  eye  brightened  as  he  took  it,  and  thanked 
him. 

"Dear,  Caleb,"  said  the  Carrier.  "Yerydear  at  this 
season." 

"Never  mind  that.  It  would  be  cheap  to  me,  what- 
ever it  cost,"  returned  the  little  man.  "Anything  else, 
John?" 

"  A  small  box, "  replied  the  Carrier.     "  Here  you  are ! " 

" '  For  Caleb  Plummer,  I  "  said  the  little  man,  spelling 
out  the  direction.  "<  With  Cash.'  With  Cash,  John! 
I  don't  think  it's  for  me." 

"With  Care,"  returned  the  Carrier,  looking  over  his 
shoulder.     "Where  do  you  make  out  cash?  " 

"Oh!  To  be  sure!"  said  Caleb.  "It's  all  right. 
With  care !  Yes,  yes ;  that's  mine.  It  might  have  been 
with  cash,  indeed,  if  my  dear  Boy  in  the  Golden  South 
Americas  had  lived,  John.  You  loved  him  like  a  son, 
didn't  you?  You  needn't  say  you  did.  I  know,  of 
course.  '  Caleb  Plummer.  With  care. '  Yes,  yes,  it's 
all  right.  It's  a  box  of  dolls'  eyes  for  my  daughter's 
work.     I  wish  it  was  her  own  sight  in  a  box,  John. " 

"I  wish  it  was,  or  could  be!  "  cried  the  Carrier. 

"Thankee,"  said  the  little  man.  "You  speak  very 
hearty.     To  think  that  she  should  never  see  the  Dolls; 


22  THE    CRICKET   ON   THE    HEARTH. 

and  them  a-staring  at  her,  so  bold,  all  day  long!  That's 
where  it  cuts.     What's  the  damage,  John? " 

"I'll  damage  you,"  said  John,  "if  you  inquire." 

"Well!  it's  like  you  to  say  so,"  observed  the  little 
man.  "It's your  kind  way.  Let  me  see.  I  think  that's 
all." 

"I  think  not,"  said  the  Carrier.     "Try  again." 

"Something  for  our  Governor,  eh?"  said  Caleb,  after 
pondering  a  little  while.  "To  be  sure.  That's  what  I 
came  for ;  but  my  head's  so  running  on  them  Arks  and 
things!     He  hasn't  been  here,  has  he?  " 

"Not  he,"  returned  the  Carrier.  "He's  too  busy 
courting. " 

"He's  coming  round,  though,"  said  Caleb;  "for  he 
told  me  to  keep  on  the  near  side  of  the  road  going  home, 
and  it  was  ten  to  one  he'd  take  me  up.  I  had  better  go, 
by-the-by. — You  couldn't  have  the  goodness  to  let  me 
pinch  Boxer's  tail,  Mum,  for  half  a  moment,  could  you ! " 

"  Why,  Caleb !  what  a  question !  " 

"Oh,  never  mind,  Mum,"  said  the  little  man.  "He 
mightn't  like  it  perhaps.  There's  a  small  order  just 
come  in,  for  barking  dogs ;  and  I  should  wish  to  go  as 
close  to  Natur'  as  I  could,  for  sixpence.  That's  all. 
Never* mind,  Mum." 

It  happened  opportunely  that  Boxer,  without  receiving 
the  proposed  stimulus,  began  to  bark  with  great  zeal. 
But  as  this  implied  the  approach  of  some  new  visitor, 
Caleb,  postponing  his  study  from  the  life  to  a  more  con- 
venient season,   shouldered  the  round  box,  and  took  a 


THE   CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH.  23 

hurried  leave.     He  might  have  spared  himself  the  trou- 
ble, for  he  met  the  visitor  upon  the  threshold. 

"Oh!  You  are  here,  are  you  ?  Wait  a  bit.  I'll  take 
you  home.  John  Peerybingle,  my  service  to  you.  More 
of  my  service  to  your  pretty  wrfe.  Handsomer  every 
lay!  Better  too,  if  possible!  And  younger,"  mused 
che  speaker,  in  a  low  voice;  "that's  the  Devil  of  it." 

"I  should  be  astonished  at  your  paying  compliments, 
Mr.  Tackleton, "  said  Dot,  not  with  the  best  grace  in  the 
w^orld;  "but  for  your  condition." 

"  You  know  all  about  it,  then  !  " 

"I  have  got  myself  to  believe  it,  somehow,"  said  Dot. 

"After  a  hard  struggle,  I  suppose?  " 

"Very." 

Tackleton,  the  Toy  merchant,  pretty  generally  known 
is  Gruff  and  Tackleton — for  that  was  the  firm,  though 
Grruff  had  been  bought  out  long  ago ;  only  leaving  his 
name,  and  as  some  said  his  nature,  according  to  its  Dic- 
tionary meaning,  in  the  business  — Tackleton,  the  Toy 
merchant,  was  a  man  whose  vocation  had  been  quite 
misunderstood  by  his  Parents.  If  they  had  made  him  a 
Money-Lender,  or  a  sharp  Attorney,  or  a  Sheriff's  Offi- 
cer, or  a  Broker,  he  might  have  sown  his  discontented 
oats  in  his  youth,  and  after  having  had  the  full  run  of 
himself  in  ill-natured  transactions,  might  have  turned 
out  amiable,  at  last,  for  the  sake  of  a  little  freshness  and 
uovelty.  But,  cramped  and  chafing  in  the  peaceable 
pursuit  of  toy -making,  he  was  a  domestic  Ogre,  who  had 
been  living  on  children  all  his  life,  and  was  their  im- 


24  THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH. 

placable  enemy.  He  despised  all  toys;  wouldn't  have 
bought  one  for  the  world;  delighted,  in  his  malice,  in 
appalling  masks;  hideous,  hairy,  red-eyed  Jacks  in 
Boxes;  Yampire  Kites;  demoniacal  Tumblers  who 
wouldn't  lie  down,  and  were  perpetually  flying  forward, 
to  stare  infants  out  of  countenance.  They  were  his  only 
relief  and  safety-valve.  He  was  great  in  such  inven- 
tions. Anything  suggestive  of  a  Pony -nightmare  was 
delicious  to  him.  What  he  was  in  toys,  he  was  in  all 
other  things.  You  may  easily  suppose,  therefore,  that 
within  the  great  green  cape,  which  reached  down  to  the 
calves  of  his  legs,  there  was  buttoned  up  to  the  chin  an 
uncommonly  pleasant  fellow ;  and  that  he  was  about  as 
choice  a  spirit  and  as  agreeable  a  companion  as  ever 
stood  in  a  pair  of  bull-headed  looking  boots  with  mahog- 
any-colored tops. 

Still,  Tackleton,  the  Toy  merchant,  was  going  to  be 
married.  And  to  a  young  wife  too ;  a  beautiful  young 
wife. 

He  didn't  look  much  like  a  Bridegroom,  as  he  stood  in 
the  Carrier's  kitchen,  with  a  twist  in  his  dry  face,  and 
his  hat  jerked  over  the  bridge  of  his  nose,  and  his  hands 
stuck  down  into  the  bottoms  of  his  pockets,  and  his 
whole  ill-conditioned  self  peering  out  of  one  little  corner 
of  one  little  eye,  like  the  concentrated  essence  of  any 
number  of  ravens.     But  a  Bridegroom  he  designed  to  be. 

"In  three  days'  time.  Xext  Thursday.  The  last  day 
of  the  first  month  in  the  year.  That's  my  wedding-day, " 
said  Tackleton,  rattling  his  money. 


THE    CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH.  25 

"Why,  it's  our  wedding-day  too/'  exclaimed  the  Car- 
rier. 

"Ha,  ha!"  laughed  Tackleton.  "Odd!  You're  just 
such  another  couple.     Just !  " 

The  indignation  of  Dot  at  this  presumptuous  assertion 
is  not  to  be  described.  What  next?  His  imagination 
would  compass  the  possibility  of  just  such  another  Baby, 
perhaps.     The  man  was  mad. 

"I  say!  A  word  with  you/'  murmured  Tackleton, 
nudging  the  Carrier  with  his  elbow,  and  taking  him  a 
little  apart.  "You'll  come  to  the  wedding?  We're  in 
the  same  boat,  you  know. " 

"How  in  the  same  boat?"  inquired  the  Car- 
rier. 

"A  little  disparity,  you  know/'  said  Tackleton,  with 
another  nudge.  "  Come  and  spend  an  evening  with  us, 
beforehand. " 

"Why?  "  demanded  John,  astonished  at  this  pressing 
hospitality. 

"Why?"  returned  the  other.  "That's  a  new  way  of 
receiving  an  invitation.  Why,  for  pleasure ;  sociability, 
you  know,  and  all  that !  " 

"I  thought  you  were  never  sociable,"  said  John,  in  his 
plain  way. 

"Tchah!  It's  of  no  use  to  be  anything  but  free  with 
you,  I  see,"  said  Tackleton.  "Why,  then,  the  truth  is 
you  have  a — what  tea -drinking  people  call  a  sort  of  a 
comfortable  appearance  together;  you  and  your  wife. 
We  know  better,  you  know,  but " 


26  THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH. 

"No,  we  don't  know  better,"  interposed  John- 
"What  are  you  talking  about?  " 

"Well!  We  don't  know  better,  then,"  said  Tackle- 
ton.  "We'll  agree  that  we  don't.  As  you  like;  what 
does  it  matter !  I  was  going  to  say,  as  you  have  that 
sort  of  appearance,  your  company  will  produce  a  favor- 
able effect  on  Mrs.  Tackleton  that  will  be.  You'll  say 
you'll  come? " 

"We  have  arranged  to  keep  our  wedding-day  at 
home, "  said  John.  "  We  have  made  the  promise  to  our- 
selves these  six  months.  We  think,  you  see,  that 
home " 

"Bah!  what's  home?"  cried  Tackleton.  "Four walls 
and  a  ceiling!  (why  don't  you  kill  that  Cricket?  1 
would!  I  always  do.  I  hate  their  noise).  There  are 
four  walls  and  a  ceiling  at  my  house.     Come  to  me !  " 

"You  kill  your  Crickets,  eh?  "  said  John. 

"Scrunch  'em,  sir,"  returned  the  other,  setting  his 
heel  heavily  on  the  floor.  "You'll  say  you'll  come? 
It's  as  much  your  interest  as  mine,  you  know,  that  the 
women  should  persuade  each  other  that  they're  quiet  and 
contented,  and  couldn't  be  better  off.  I  know  their 
way.  Whatever  one  woman  says,  another  woman  is  de- 
termined to  clinch,  always.  There's  that  spirit  of  emu- 
lation among  'em,  sir,  that  if  your  wife  says  to  my  wife, 
1  I'm  the  happiest  woman  in  the  world,  and  mine's  the 
best  husband  in  the  world,  and  I  dote  on  him, '  my  wife 
will  say  the  same  to  yours,  or  more,  and  half  believe 
it." 


THE   CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH.  27 

"Do  you  mean  to  say  she  don't,  then?"  asked  the 
Carrier. 

"Don't!  "  cried  Tackleton,  with  a  short,  sharp  laugh. 
"Don't  what?" 

The  Carrier  had  had  some  faint  idea  of  adding,  "  dote 
upon  you. "  But  happening  to  meet  the  half -closed  eye, 
as  it  twinkled  upon  him  over  the  turned-up  collar  of  the 
cape,  which  was  within  an  ace  of  poking  it  out,  he  felt 
it  such  an  unlikely  part  and  parcel  of  anything  to  be 
doted  on,  that  he  substituted,  "that  she  don't  believe 
it?" 

"Ah,  you  dog!  you're  joking,"  said  Tackleton.  But 
the  Carrier,  though  slow  to  understand  the  full  drift  of 
his  meaning,  eyed  him  in  such  a  serious  manner,  that  he 
was  obliged  to  be  a  little  more  explanatory. 

"  I  have  the  humor, "  said  Tackleton,  holding  up  the 
fingers  of  his  left  hand,  and  tapping  the  forefinger,  to 
imply,  "there  I  am,  Tackleton  to  wit:"  "I  have  the 
humor,  Sir,  to  marry  a  young  wife  and  a  pretty  wife :  " 
here  he  rapped  his  little  finger,  to  express  the  Bride; 
not  sparingly,  but  sharply ;  with  a  sense  of  power.  "  I'm 
able  to  gratify  that  humor,  and  I  do.  It's  my  whim. 
But — now  look  there. " 

He  pointed  to  where  Dot  was  sitting,  thoughtfully, 
before  the  fire ;  leaning  her  dimpled  chin  upon  her  hand, 
and  watching  the  bright  blaze.  The  Carrier  looked  at 
her,  and  then  at  him. 

"  She  honors  and  obeys,  no  doubt,  you  know, "  said 
Tackleton ;   "  and  that,  as  I  am  not  a  man  of  sentiment, 


28  THE   CRICKET   OlS    THE   HEARTH. 

is  quite  enough  for  r.ie.  But  do  you  think  there's  any- 
thing more  in  it  ?  " 

"I  think,"  observed  the  Carrier,  "that  I  should  chuck 
any  man  out  of  the  window  who  said  there  wasn't." 

"Exactly  so,"  returned  the  other,  with  an  unusual 
alacrity  of  assent.  "To  be  sure!  Doubtless  you  would. 
Of  course.  I'm  certain  of  it.  Good-night.  Pleasant 
dreams ! " 

The  good  Carrier  was  puzzled,  and  made  uncomfort- 
able and  uncertain,  in  spite  of  himself.  He  couldn't 
help  showing  it  in  his  manner. 

"Good-night,  my  dear  friend ! "  said  Tackleton,  com- 
passionately. "I'm  off.  We're  exactly  alike,  in  real- 
ity, I  see.  You  won't  give  us  to-morrow  evening! 
Well !  Next  day  you  go  out  visiting,  I  know.  I'll  meet 
you  there,  and  bring  my  wife  that  is  to  be.  It'll  do  her 
good.     You're  agreeable?     Thankee.     What's  that?" 

It  was  a  loud  cry  from  the  Carrier's  wife;  a  loud, 
sharp,  sudden  cry,  that  made  the  room  ring  like  a  glass 
vessel.  She  had  risen  from  her  seat,  and  stood  like  one 
transfixed  by  terror  and  surprise.  The  Stranger  had 
advanced  toward  the  fire,  to  warm  himself,  and  stood 
within  a  short  stride  of  her  chair.     But  quite  still. 

"Dot!  "  cried  the  Carrier.  "Mary!  Darling!  what's 
the  matter  ?     Are  you  ill  ?  what  is  it  ?     Tell  me,  dear ! " 

She  only  answered  by  beating  her  hands  together,  and 
falling  into  a  wild  fit  of  laughter.  Then,  sinking  from 
his  grasp  upon  the  ground,  she  covered  her  face  with 
her  apron,  and  wept  bitterly.     And  then,  she  laughed 


THE    CRICKET   ON   THE  HEARTH. 


29 


again;  and  then,  she  cried  again;  and  then,  she  said  how 
cold  it  was,  and  suffered  him  to  lead  her  to  the  fire, 
where  she  sat  down  as  before.  The  old  man  standing,  as 
before ;  quite  still. 


30  THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH. 

"I'm  better,  John,"  she  said.  "I'm  quite  well  now 
—I » 

John !  But  John  was  on  the  other  side  of  her.  Why 
turn  her  face  toward  the  strange  old  gentleman,  as  if 
addressing  him !     Was  her  brain  wandering  ! 

"Only  a  fancy,  John,  dear,  a  kind  of  shock — a  some- 
thing coming  suddenly  before  my  eyes — I  don't  know 
what  it  was.     It's  quite  gone;  quite  gone." 

"I'm  glad  it's  gone,"  muttered  Tackleton,  turning  the 
expressive  eye  all  round  the  room.  "I  wonder  where 
it's  gone,  and  what  it  was.  Humph!  Caleb,  come 
here !     Who's  that  with  the  gray  hair?  " 

"I  don't  know,  Sir,"  returned  Caleb  in  a  whisper. 
"Never  see  him  before,  in  all  my  life.  A  beautiful 
figure  for  a  nut- cracker ;  quite  a  new  model.  With  a 
screw- jaw  opening  down  into  his  waistcoat,  he'd  be 
lovely. " 

"Not  ugly  enough,"  said  Tackleton. 

"Or  for  a  firebox,  either,"  observed  Caleb,  in  deep 
contemplation,  "what  a  model!  Unscrew  his  head  to 
put  the  matches  in;  turn  him  heels  up'ard  for  the  light; 
and  what  a  firebox  for  a  gentleman's  mantle-shelf,  just 
as  he  stands !  " 

"Not  half  ugly  enough,"  said  Tackleton.  "Nothing 
in  him  at  all.  Come !  Bring  that  box !  All  right  now, 
I  hope?" 

"  Oh,  quite  gone !  Quite  gone !  "  said  the  little  woman, 
waving  him  hurriedly  away.     "Good-night!  " 

"Good-night,"    said    Tackleton.     "Good-night,   John 


THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH.  31 

Peerybingle !  Take  care  how  you  carry  that  box,  Caleb. 
Let  it  fall,  and  I'll  murder  you!  Dark  as  pitch,  and 
weather  worse  than  ever,  eh?     Good- night!  " 

So,  with  another  sharp  look  round  the  room,  he  went 
out  at  the  door ;  followed  by  Caleb  with  the  wedding- 
cake  on  his  head. 

The  Carrier  had  been  so  much  astounded  by  his  little 
wife,  and  so  busily  engaged  in  soothing  and  tending  her, 
that  he  had  scarcely  been  conscious  of  the  Stranger's 
presence,  until  now,  when  he  again  stood  there,  their 
only  guest. 

aHe  don't  belong  to  them,  you  see,"  said  John.  "I 
must  give  him  a  hint  to  go. " 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  friend,"  said  the  old  gentleman, 
advancing  to  him;  "the  more  so,  as  I  fear  your  wife  has 
not  been  well ;  but  the  AttendaDt  whom  my  infirmity, " 
he  touched  his  ears  and  shook  his  head,  "renders  almost 
indispensable,  not  having  arrived,  I  fear  there  must  be 
some  mistake.  Would  you,  in  your  kindness,  suffer  me 
to  rent  a  bed  here  %  " 

"  Yes,  yes, "  cried  Dot.     "  Yes !     Certainly !  " 

"  Oh !  "  said  the  Carrier,  surprised  by  the  rapidity  of 
this  consent.  "Well!  I  don't  object ;  but  still  I'm  not 
quite  sure  that — — " 

"  Hush !  n  she  interrupted.     "  Dear  John !  " 

"Why,  he's  stone  deaf,"  urged  John. 

"I  know  he  is,  but — Yes,  Sir,  certainly.  Yes!  cer- 
tainly!    I'll  make  him  up  a  bed,  directly,  John." 

As  she  hurried  off  to  do  it,  the  flutter  of  her  spirits, 


32  THE   CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH. 

and  the  agitation  of  her  manner,  were  so  strange,  that 
the  Carrier  stood  lookiog  after  her,  quite  confounded. 
"What  frightened  Dot,  I  wonder!  "  mused  the  Carrier, 
pacing  to  and  fro. 

He  scouted,  from  his  heart,  the  insinuations  of  the 
Toy  merchant,  and  yet  they  filled  him  with  a  vague, 
indefinite  uneasiness ;  for  Tackleton  was  quick  and  sly ; 
and  he  had  that  painful  sense,  himself,  of  being  a  man  of 
slow  perception,  that  a  broken  hint  was  always  worrying 
to  him.  He  certainly  had  no  intention  in  his  mind  of 
linking  anything  that  Tackleton  had  said,  with  the  un- 
usual conduct  of  his  wife ;  but  the  two  subjects  of  reflec- 
tion came  into  his  mind  together,  and  he  could  not  keep 
them  asunder. 

The  bed  was  soon  made  ready ;  and  the  visitor,  declin- 
ing all  refreshment  but  a  cup  of  tea,  retired.  Then  Dot, 
quite  well  again,  she  said,  arranged  the  great  chair  in 
the  chimney  corner  for  her  husband ;  filled  his  pipe  and 
gave  it  him ;  and  took  her  usual  little  stool  beside  him 
on  the  hearth. 

She  always  would  sit  on  that  little  stool ;  I  think  she 
must  have  had  a  kind  of  notion  that  it  was  a  coaxing, 
wheedling,  little  stool. 

She  was,  out  and  out,  the  very  best  filler  of  a  pipe,  I 
should  say,  in  the  four  quarters  of  the  globe.  To  see 
her  put  that  chubby  little  finger  in  the  bowl,  and  then 
blow  down  the  pipe  to  clear  the  tube ;  and  when  she  had 
done  so,  affect  to  think  that  there  was  really  something 
in  the  tube ;   and  blow  a  dozen  times,  and  hold  it  to  her 


THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH.  33 

eye  like  a  telescope,  with  a  most  provoking  twist  in  her 
little  face,  as  she  looked  down  it ;  was  quite  a  brilliant 
thing.  As  to  the  tobacco,  she  was  perfect  mistress  of 
the  subject ;  and  her  lighting  of  the  pipe,  with  a  wisp  of 
paper,  when  the  Carrier  had  it  in  his  mouth — going  so 
very  near  his  nose,  and  yet  not  scorching  it — was  Art : 
high  Art,  Sir. 

And  the  Cricket  and  the  Kettle,  tuning  up  again, 
acknowledged  it!  The  bright  fire,  blazing  up  again, 
acknowledged  it !  The  little  Mower  on  the  clock,  in  his 
unheeded  work,  acknowledged  it!  The  Carrier,  in  his 
smoothing  forehead  and  expanding  face,  acknowledged 
it,  the  readiest  of  ail. 

And  as  he  soberly  and  thoughtfully  puffed  at  his  old 
pipe ;  and  as  the  Dutch  clock  ticked ;  and  as  the  red  fire 
gleamed ;  and  as  the  Cricket  chirped ;  that  Genius  of  his 
Hearth  and  Home  (for  such  the  Cricket  was)  came  out, 
in  fairy  shape,  into  the  room  and  summoned  many  forms 
of  Home  about  him.  Dots  of  all  ages,  and  all  sizes, 
filled  the  chamber.  Dots  who  were  merry  children, 
running  on  before  him,  gathering  flowers,  in  the  fields ; 
coy  Dots,  half  shrinking  from,  half  yielding  to,  the 
pleading  of  his  own  rough  image ;  newly-married  Dots 
alighting  at  the  door,  and  taking  wondering  possession 
of  the  household  keys ;  motherly  little  Dots,  attended  by 
fictitious  Slowboys,  bearing  babies  to  be  christened; 
matronly  Dots,  still  young  and  blooming,  watching  Dots 
of  daughters,  as  they  danced  at  rustic  balls ;  fat  Dots, 
encircled  and  beset  by  troops  of  rosy  grandchildren; 


B4  THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH. 

withered  Dots,  who  leaned  on  sticks,  and  tottered  as  the\ 
crept  along.  Old  Carriers,  too,  appeared,  with  blind 
old  Boxers  lying  at  their  feet ;  and  newer  carts  with 
younger  drivers  ("Peerybingle  Brothers"  on  the  tilt); 
and  sick  old  Carriers,  tended  by  the  gentlest  hands; 
and  graves  of  dead  and  gone  old  Carriers,  green  in  the 
churchyard.  And  as  the  Cricket  showed  him  all  these 
things — he  saw  them  plainly,  though  his  eyes  were  fixed 
upon  the  fire — the  Carrier's  heart  grew  light  and  happy, 
and  he  thanked  his  Household  Gods  with  all  his  might, 
and  cared  no  more  for  Gruff  and  Tackleton  than  you  do. 


CHIEP  THE  SECOND. 

Caleb  Plummer  and  his  Blind  Daughter  lived  all 
alone  by  themselves,  as  the  Story-Books  say,  in  a  little 
cracked  nutshell  of  a  wooden  house.  You  might  have 
knocked  down  Caleb  Plummer 's  dwelling  with  a  hammer 
or  two,  and  carried  off  the  pieces  in  a  cart ;  and  if  any 
one  had  done  the  house  the  honor  to  miss  it  after  such 
an  inroad,  it  would  have  been,  no  doubt,  to  commend  its 
demolition  as  a  vast  improvement.  It  stuck  to  the  prem- 
ises of  Gruff  and  Tackleton,  like  a  barnacle  to  a  ship's 
keel,  or  a  little  bunch  of  toadstools  to  the  stem  of  a  tree. 
But  it  was  the  germ  from  which  the  full-grown  trunk  of 
Gruff  and  Tackleton  had  sprung. 

I  have  said  that  Caleb  and  his  poor  Blind  Daughter 
lived  here ;  but  I  should  have  said  that  Caleb  lived  here, 


THE   CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH. 


35 


and  his  poor  Blind  Daughter  somewhere  else ;  in  an  en- 
chanted home  of  Caleb's  furnishing,  where  scarcity  and 
shabbiness  were  not  and  trouble  never  entered.     Caleb 


was  no  Sorcerer,  but  in  the  only  magic  art  that  still 
remains  to  us:  the  magic  of  devoted,  deathless  love: 
Nature  had  been  the  mistress  of  his  study;  and  from  her 
teaching,  all  the  wonder  came. 


36  THE   CRICKET   ON   THE    HEARTH. 

The  Blind  Girl  never  knew  that  ceilings  were  discol- 
ored ;  walls  blotched,  and  bare  of  plaster  here  and  there ; 
high  crevices  unstopped,  and  widening  every  day ;  beams 
mouldering  and  tending  downward.  The  Blind  Girl 
never  knew  that  ugly  shapes  of  delf  and  earthenware 
were  on  the  board  j  that  Caleb's  scanty  hairs  were  turn- 
ing grayer  and  more  gray  before  her  sightless  face.  The 
Blind  Girl  never  knew  they  had  a  master,  cold,  exacting, 
and  uninterested :  never  knew  that  Tackleton  was  Tack- 
leton,  in  short ;  but  lived  in  the  belief  of  an  eccentric 
humorist  who  loved  to  have  his  jest  with  them;  and 
while  he  was  the  Guardian  Angel  of  their  lives,  disdained 
to  hear  one  word  of  thankfulness. 

And  all  was  Caleb's  doing.  But  he  too  had  a  Cricket 
on  his  Hearth ;  and  listening  sadly  to  its  music  when  the 
motherless  Blind  Child  was  very  young,  that  Spirit  had 
inspired  him  with  the  thought  that  even  her  great  de- 
privation might  be  almost  changed  into  a  blessing,  and 
the  girl  made  happy  by  these  little  means.  For  all  the 
Cricket  Tribe  are  potent  Spirits,  even  though  the  people 
who  hold  converse  with  them  do  not  know  it. 

Caleb  and  his  daughter  were  at  work  together  in  their 
usual  working-room,  which  served  them  for  their  ordi- 
nary living  room  as  well ;  and  a  strange  place  it  was. 
There  were  houses  in  it,  finished  and  unfinished,  for 
Dolls  of  all  stations  in  life.  Suburban  tenements  for 
Dolls  of  moderate  means;  kitchens  and  single  apart- 
ments for  Dolls  of  the  lower  classes ;  capital  town  resi- 
dence for  Dolls  of  high  estate.     Some  of  these  establish- 


THE    CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH.  37 

merits  were  already  furnished  according  to  estimate,  with 
a  view  to  the  convenience  of  Dolls,  of  limited  income ; 
others  could  be  fitted  on  the  most  expensive  scale,  at  a 
moment's  notice,  from  whole  shelves  of  chairs  and 
tables,  sofas,  bedsteads,  and  upholstery.  The  nobility 
and  gentry  and  public  in  general,  for  whose  accommo- 
dation these  tenements  were  designed,  lay  here  and  there, 
in  baskets,  staring  straight  up  at  the  ceiling;  but  in 
denoting  their  degrees  in  society,  and  confining  them  to 
their  respective  stations,  the  makers  of  these  Dolls  had 
far  improved  on  Nature,  who  is  often  froward  and  per- 
verse; for  they,  not  resting  on  such  arbitrary  marks 
as  satin,  cotton-print,  and  bits  of  rag,  had  superadded 
striking  personal  differences  which  allowed  of  no  mis- 
take. Thus,  the  Doll-lady  of  Distinction  had  wax  limbs 
of  perfect  symmetry,  the  next  grade  in  the  social  scale 
being  made  of  leather  and  the  next  of  coarse  linen  stuff. 
As  to  the  common-people,  they  have  just  so  many 
matches  out  of  tinder-boxes  for  their  arms  and  legs,  and 
there  they  were — established  in  their  sphere  at  once,  be- 
yond the  possibility  of  getting  out  of  it. 

There  were  various  other  samples  of  his  handicraft, 
besides  Dolls,  in  Caleb  Plummer's  room.  There  were 
Noah's  Arks,  in  which  the  Birds  and  Beasts  were  an 
uncommonly  tight  fit,  I  assure  you ;  though  they  could 
be  crammed  in,  anyhow,  at  the  roof,  and  rattled  and 
shaken  into  the  smallest  compass.  There  were  many 
small  fiddles,  drums,  and  other  instruments  of  torture; 
no  end  of   cannon,   shields,   swords,   spears,   and  guns. 


38  THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH. 

There  were  little  tumblers  in  red  breeches,  incessantly 
swarming  up  high  obstacles  of  red-tape,  and  coming 
down  head-first  upon  the  other  side ;  and  there  were  in- 
numerable old  gentlemen  of  respectable  appearance,  in- 
sanely flying  over  horizontal  pegs,  inserted  for  the  pur- 
pose, in  their  own  street  doors.  There  were  beasts  of 
all  sorts ;  horses,  in  particular,  of  every  breed. 

In  the  midst  of  all  these  objects,  Caleb  and  his  daugh- 
ter sat  at  work.  The  Blind  Girl  busy  as  a  Doll's  dress- 
maker ;  and  Caleb  painting  and  glazing  the  front  of  a 
desirable  family  mansion.  The  care  imprinted  in  the 
lines  of  Caleb's  face,  and  his  absorbed  and  dreamy  man- 
ner, which  would  have  sat  well  on  some  alchemist  or 
abstruse  student,  were  at  first  sight  an  odd  contrast  to 
his  occupation,  and  the  trivialities  about  him. 

"So  you  were  out  in  the  rain,  last  night,  father,  in 
your  beautiful  new  great-coat/'  said  Caleb's  daughter. 

"In  my  beautiful  new  great-coat,"  answered  Caleb, 
glancing  toward  a  clothes-line  in  the  room,  on  which  the 
sack- cloth  garment  previously  described  was  carefully 
hung  up  to  dry. 

"How  glad  I  am  you  bought  it,  father!  " 

"And  of  such  a  tailor,  too,"  said  Caleb.  "Quite  a 
fashionable  tailor.     It's  too  good  for  me." 

The  Blind  Girl  rested  from  her  work,  and  laughed 
with  delight.  "Too  good,  father!  What  can  be  too 
good  for  you  ?  " 

"I'm  half  ashamed  to  wear  it,  though,"  said  Caleb, 
watching  the  effect  of  what  he  said  upon  her  brightening 


Caleb  Plummee  and  his  Daughter.  Page  46. 


THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEART!*.  39 

face;  "upon  my  word.  When  I  hear  the  boys  and  peo- 
ple say  behind  me,  '  Hal -loa !  Here's  a  swell! '  I  don't 
know  which  way  to  look.  And  when  the  beggar  wouldn't 
go  away  last  night ;  and,  when  I  said  I  was  a  very  com- 
mon man,  said  '  No,  your  Honor !  Bless  your  Honor, 
don't  say  that ! '  I  was  quite  ashamed.  I  really  felt  as 
if  I  hadn't  a  right  to  wear  it." 

Happy  Blind  Girl !  How  merry  she  was  in  her  ex- 
ultation ! 

"  I  see  you,  father, "  she  said,  clasping  her  hands,  "  as 
plainly  as  if  I  had  the  eyes  I  never  want  when  you  are 
with  me.     A  blue  coat n 

"Bright  blue,"  said  Caleb. 

"Yes,  yes!  Bright  blue!  "  exclaimed  the  girl,  turning 
up  her  radiant  face;  "the  color  I  can  just  remember  in 
the  blessed  sky !  You  told  me  it  was  blue  before !  A 
bright  blue  coat " 

"Made  loose  to  the  figure,"  suggested  Caleb. 

"Yes!  loose  to  the  figure!"  cried  the  Blind  Girl, 
laughing  heartily;  "and  in  it  you,  dear  father,  with 
your  merry  eye,  your  smiling  face,  your  free  step,  and 
your  dark  hair :  looking  so  young  and  handsome !  " 

"Halloa!  Halloa!"  said  Caleb.  "I  shall  be  vain, 
presently." 

"J  think  you  are,  already,"  cried  the  Blind  Girl, 
pointing  at  him  in  her  glee.  "  I  know  you,  father !  Ha, 
ha,  ha!     I've  found  you  out,  you  see!  " 

How  different  the  picture  in  her  mind,  from  Caleb,  as 
he  sat  observing  her !     She  had  spoken  of  his  free  step. 


40  THE   CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH. 

She  was  right  in  that.  For  years  and  years,  he  never 
once  had  crossed  that  threshold  at  his  own  slow  pace, 
but  with  a  footfall  connterf eited  for  her  ear ;  and  never 
had  he,  when  his  heart  was  heaviest,  forgotten  the  light 
tread  that  was  to  render  hers  so  cheerful  and  coura- 
geous! 

"  There  we  are, "  said  Caleb,  falling  back  a  pace  or  two 
to  form  the  better  judgment  of  his  work;  "as  near  the 
real  thing  as  sixpenn'orth  of  halfpence  is  to  sixpence. 
What  a  pity  that  the  whole  front  of  the  house  opens  at 
once !  If  there  was  only  a  staircase  in  it  now,  and  regu- 
lar doors  to  the  rooms  to  go  in  it !  But  that's  the  worst 
of  my  calling,  I'm  always  deluding  myself,  and  swindling 
myself. " 

"You  are  speaking  quite  softly.  You  are  not  tired, 
father?" 

"Tired,"  echoed  Caleb,  with  a  great  burst  of  anima- 
tion, "what  should  tire  me,  Bertha?  J  was  never  tired. 
What  does  it  mean  ?  " 

To  give  the  greater  force  to  his  words,  he  hummed 
a  fragment  of  a  song,  something  about  a  Sparkling 
Bowl. 

"What!  you're  singing,  are  you?"  said  Tackleton, 
putting  his  head  in  at  the  door.  "Go  it!  J  can't  sing. 
I  can't  afford  to  sing.  I'm  glad  you  can.  I  hope  you 
can  afford  to  work  too.  Hardly  time  for  both,  I  should 
think?" 

"If  you  could  only  see  him,  Bertha,  how  he's  winking 
at  me!  "  whispered  Caleb.     "Such  a  man  to  joke!  you'd 


THE   CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH.  41 

think   if  you  didn't  know  him,   he  was  in  earnest— 
wouldn't  you  now  ?  " 

The  Blind  Girl  smiled,  and  nodded.  "  Always  merry 
and  light-hearted  with  us ! "  cried  she. 

"Oh!  you're  there,  are  you?"  answered  Tackle- 
ton.  "Poor  Idiot!  Well!  and  being  there — how  are 
you?" 

"Oh!  well;  quite  well.  And  as  happy  as  even  you 
can  wish  me  to  be.  As  happy  as  you  would  make  the 
whole  world  if  you  could !  " 

"Poor  Idiot!"  muttered  Tackleton.  "No  gleam  of 
reason.     Not  a  gleam !  " 

The  Blind  Girl  took  his  hand  and  kissed  it.  There 
was  such  unspeakable  affection  and  such  fervent  grati- 
tude in  the  act,  that  Tackleton  himself  was  moved  to 
say,  in  a  milder  growl  than  usual : 

"What's  the  matter  now?  " 

"  I  stood  it  close  beside  my  pillow  when  I  went  to  sleep 
last  night,  and  remembered  it  in  my  dreams.  And 
when  the  day  broke,  and  the  glorious  red  sun  —the  red 
sun,  father?" 

"Bed  in  the  mornings  and  the  evenings,  Bertha,"  said 
poor  Caleb,  with  a  woeful  glance  at  his  employer. 

"When  it  rose,  and  the  bright  light  I  almost  fear  to 
strike  myself  against  in  walking,  came  into  the  room,  I 
turned  the  little  tree  toward  it,  and  blessed  Heaven  for 
making  things  so  precious,  and  blessed  you  for  sending 
them  to  cheer  me !  " 

"Bedlam    broke   loose!"    said  Tackleton  under  his 


42  THE   CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH. 

breath.     "We  shall  arrive  at  the  strait-waistcoat  and 
mufflers  soon.     We're  getting  on!  " 

Caleb,  with  his  hands  hooked  loosely  in  each  other, 
stared  vacantly  before  him  while  his  daughter  spoke,  as 
if  he  really  were  uncertain  whether  Tackleton  had  donf 
anything  to  deserve  her  thanks,  or  not.  Yet  Caleb  knew 
that  with  his  own  hands  he  had  brought  the  little  rose 
tree  home  for  her,  so  carefully ;  and  that  with  his  own 
lips  he  had  forged  the  innocent  deception  which  should 
help  to  keep  her  from  suspecting  how  much,  how  very 
much,  he  every  day  denied  himself  that  she  might  be 
the  happier. 

"Bertha!"  said  Tackleton,  assuming,  for  the  nonce, 
a  little  cordiality.  "Come  here.  Shall  I  tell  you  a 
secret,  Bertha?" 

"  If  you  will !  "  she  answered,  eagerly. 

How  bright  the  darkened  face!  How  adorned  with 
light,  the  listening  head ! 

"This  is  the  day  on  which  little  what's-her-name,  the 
spoilt  child,  Peerybingle's  wife,  pays  her  regular  visit 
to  you — makes  her  fantastic  Pic-Nic  here;  an't  it?" 
said  Tackleton,  with  a  strong  expression  of  distaste  for 
the  whole  concern. 

"  Yes, "  replied  Bertha.     "  This  is  the  day. " 

"  I  thought  so ! "  said  Tackleton.  "  I  should  like  to 
join  the  party." 

"Do  you  hear  that,  father?"  cried  the  Blind  Giri  in 
an  ecstasy. 

"  Yes,  yes,  I  hear  it,  *  murmured  Caleb,  with  the  fixed 


THE   CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH.  43 

look  of  a  sleep-walker;  "but  I  don't  believe  it.  It's 
one  of  my  lies,  I've  no  doubt." 

"You  see  I — I  want  to  bring  the  Peerybingles  a  little 
more  into  company  with  May  Fielding, "  said  Tackleton. 
"  I  am  going  to  get  married  to  May. " 

"Married?"  cried  the  Blind  Girl,  starting  from 
him. 

"She's  such  a  con-founded  idiot/'  muttered  Tackleton, 
"that  I  was  afraid  she'd  never  comprehend  me.  Ah, 
Bertha !  Married !  Church,  parson,  clerk,  beadle,  glass- 
coach,  bells,  breakfast,  bride-cake,  favors,  marrow- 
bones, cleavers,  and  all  the  rest  of  the  tom-foolery.  A 
wedding  you  know ;  a  wedding.  Don't  you  know  what 
a  wedding  is  !  " 

"I  know,"  replied  the  Blind  Girl,  in  a  gentle  tone. 
"  I  understand !  " 

"Do  you  V  muttered  Tackleton.  "It's  more  than  I 
expected.  Well!  on  that  account  I  want  to  join  the 
party,  and  to  bring  May  and  her  mother.  I'll  send  in  a 
little  something  or  other,  before  the  afternoon.  A  cold 
leg  of  mutton,  or  some  comfortable  trifle  of  that  sort. 
You'll  expect  me? " 

"Yes,"  she  answered. 

She  had  drooped  her  head,  and  turned  away ;  and  so 
stood,  with  her  hands  crossed,  musing. 

"I  don't  think  you  will,"  muttered  Tackleton,  looking 
at  her;  "for  you  seem  to  have  forgotten  all  about  it 
already.  Caleb!  Take  care  she  don't  forget  what  I've 
been  saying  to  her." 


44  THE    CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH. 

"She  never  forgets,"  returned  Caleb.  "It's  one  of  the 
few  things  she  an't  clever  in." 

"Every  man  thinks  his  own  geese,  swans,"  observed 
the  Toy  merchant,  with  a  shrug.     "Poor  devil!  " 

Having  delivered  himself  of  which  remark,  with  infi- 
nite contempt,  old  Gruff  and  Tackleton  withdrew. 

Bertha  remained  where  he  had  left  her,  lost  in  medi- 
tation. The  gayety  had  vanished  from  her  downcast 
face,  and  it  was  very  sad.  Three  or  four  times  she  shook 
her  head,  as  if  bewailing  some  remembrance  or  some  loss ; 
but  her  sorrowful  reflections  found  no  vent  in  words. 

It  was  not  until  Caleb  had  been  occupied,  some  time, 
in  yoking  a  team  of  horses  to  a  wagon  by  the  summary 
process  of  nailing  the  harness  to  the  vital  parts  of  their 
bodies,  that  she  drew  near  to  his  working-stool,  and 
sitting  down  beside  him  said : 

"  Father,  I  am  lonely  in  the  dark.  I  want  my  eyes : 
my  patient,  willing  eyes." 

"Here  they  are,"  said  Caleb.  "Always  ready.  They 
are  more  yours  than  mine,  Bertha,  any  hour  in  the  four- 
and-twenty.     What  shall  your  eyes  do  for  you,  dear !  " 

"Look  round  the  room,  father." 

"All  right,"  said  Caleb.  "No  sooner  said  than  done, 
Bertha." 

"Tell  me  about  it," 

"  It's  much  the  same  as  usual, "  said  Caleb.  "  Homely, 
but  very  snug.  The  gay  colors  on  the  walls ;  the  bright 
flowers  on  the  plates  and  dishes;  the  shining  wood, 
where  there  are  beams  or  panels ;   the  general  cheerful- 


THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH.  45 

ness    and    neatness    of    the    building;    make    it    very 
pretty." 

Cheerful  and  neat  it  was,  wherever  Bertha's  hands 
could  busy  themselves.  But  nowhere  else  were  cheer- 
fulness and  neatness  possible,  in  the  old  crazy  shed  which 
Caleb's  fancy  so  transformed. 

"Father,"  said  the  Blind  Girl,  drawing  close  to  his 
side,  and  stealing  one  arm  round  his  neck,  "tell  me 
something  about  May.     She  is  very  fair?  " 

"She  is  indeed,"  said  Caleb.  And  she  was  indeed. 
It  was  quite  a  rare  thing  to  Caleb,  not  to  have  to  draw 
on  his  invention. 

"Her  hair  is  dark,"  said  Bertha,  pensively,  "darker 
than  mine.  Her  voice  is  sweet  and  musical,  I  know.  I 
have  often  loved  to  hear  it.     Her  shape — *— " 

"There's  not  a  Doll's  in  all  the  room  to  equal  it,"  said 
Caleb. 

"And  her  eyes! " 

He  stopped ;  for  Bertha  had  drawn  closer  round  his 
neck  5  and,  from  the  arm  that  clung  about  him  came  a 
warning  pressure  which  he  understood  too  well. 

He  coughed  a  moment,  hammered  for  a  moment,  and 
then  fell  back  upon  the  song  about  the  Sparkling  Bowl ; 
his  infallible  resource  in  all  such  difficulties. 

"Our  friend,  father;  our  benefactor.  I  am  never 
tired,  you  know,  of  hearing  about  him. — Now  was  I, 
ever !  "  she  said,  hastily. 

"Of  course  not,"  answered  Caleb.  "And  with  rea- 
son." 


4P>  THE   CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH. 

"Then,  tell  me  again  about  him,  dear  father,"  said 
Bertha.  "Many  times  again!  His  face  is  benevolent, 
kind,  and  tender.  Honest  and  true,  I  am  sure  it  is. 
The  manly  heart  that  tries  to  cloak  all  favors  with  a 
show  of  roughness  and  unwillingness,  beats  in  its  every 
look  and  glance." 

"  And  makes  it  noble,"  added  Caleb  in  his  quiet  des- 
peration. 

"  And  makes  it  noble,"  cried  the  Blind  Girl.  "He  is 
older  than  May,  father. " 

"  Ye-es,"  said  Caleb,  reluctantly.  "He's  a  little  older 
than  May.     But  that  don't  signify." 

"Oh  father,  yes!  To  be  his  patient  companion  in  in- 
firmity and  age ;  to  be  his  gentle  nurse  in  sickness,  and 
his  constant  friend  in  suffering  and  sorrow;  to  watch 
him,  tend  him ;  sit  beside  his  bed ;  what  privileges  these 
would  be!     Would  she  do  all  this,  dear  father? " 

"No  doubt  of  it,"  said  Caleb. 

"Hove  her,  father;  I  can  love  her  from  my  soul!" 
exclaimed  the  Blind  Girl.  And  saying  so,  she  laid  her 
poor  blind  face  on  Caleb's  shoulder,  and  so  wept  and 
wept,  that  he  was  almost  sorry  to  have  brought  that 
tearful  happiness  upon  her. 

In  the  mean  time,  there  had  been  a  pretty  sharp  com- 
motion at  John  Peerybingle's;  for  little  Mrs.  Peery- 
bingle  naturally  couldn't  think  of  going  anywhere  with- 
out the  Baby ;  and  to  get  the  Baby  under  weigh,  took 
time.  Not  that  there  was  much  of  the  Baby,  but  there 
was  a  vast  deal  to  do  about  and  about  it,  and  it  all  had 


THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH.  47 

to  be  done  by  easy  stages.  For  instance :  when  the  Baby 
was  got,  by  hook  and  by  crook,  to  a  certain  point  of 
dressing,  and  you  might  have  rationally  supposed  that 
another  touch  or  two  would  finish  him  off,  and  turn 
him  out  a  tip -top  Baby,  challenging  the  world,  he  was 
unexpectedly  extinguished  in  a  flannel  cap,  and  hustled 
off  to  bed ;  where  he  simmered  between  two  blankets  for 
the  best  part  of  an  hour.  Mrs.  Peerybingle  took  advan- 
tage of  this  interval,  to  make  herself  as  smart  in  a  small 
way  as  ever  you  saw  anybody  in  all  your  life.  The 
Baby,  being  all  alive  again,  was  invested,  by  the  united 
efforts  of  Mrs.  Peerybingle  and  Miss  Slowboy,  with  a 
cream -colored  mantle  for  its  body,  and  a  sort  of  nankeen 
raised-pie  for  its  head ;  and  so  in  course  of  time  they  all 
three  got  down  to  the  door,  where  the  old  horse  had  al- 
ready taken  more  than  the  full  value  of  his  day's  toll 
out  of  the  Turnpike  Trust,  by  tearing  up  the  road  with 
his  impatient  autographs — and  whence  Boxer  might 
be  dimly  seen  in  the  remote  perspective,  standing 
looking  back,  and  tempting  him  to  come  on  without 
orders. 

As  to  a  chair,  or  anything  of  that  kind  for  helping 
Mrs.  Peerybingle  into  the  cart,  you  know  very  little  of 
John,  I  flatter  myself,  if  you  think  that  was  necessary. 
Before  you  could  have  seen  him  lift  her  from  the  ground, 
there  she  was  in  her  place,  fresh  and  rosy,  saying  "John! 
How  can  you !     Think  of  Tilly !  " 

"John?  You've  got  the  basket  with  the  Yeal  and 
Ham-Pie  and  things ;  and  the  bottles  of  Beer  ?  "  said  Dot, 


48  THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH. 

"If  you  haven't,  you  must  turn  round  again,  this  very 
minute. " 

" You're  a  nice  little  article,"  returned  the  Carrier, 
"to  be  talking  about  turning  round,  after  keeping  me  a 
full  quarter  of  an  hour  behind  my  time. " 

"I  am  sorry  for  it,  John,"  said  Dot  in  a  great  bustle, 
"but  I  really  could  not  think  of  going  to  Bertha's — I 
wouldn't  do  it,  John,  on  any  account — without  the  Veal 
and  Ham-Pie  and  things,  and  the  bottles  of  Beer. 
Way ! " 

This  monosyllable  was  addressed  to  the  Horse,  who 
didn't  mind  it  at  all. 

"Oh  do  Way,  John!"  said  Mrs.  Peerybingle. 
"Please!" 

"It'll  be  time  enough  to  do  that,"  returned  John, 
"when  I  begin  to  leave  things  behind  me.  The  basket's 
here,  safe  enough." 

"What  a  hard-hearted  monster  you  must  be,  John, 
not  to  have  said  so,  at  once,  and  saved  me  such  a  turn ! 
I  declare  I  wouldn't  go  to  Bertha's  without  the  Yeal  and 
Ham -Pie  and  things,  and  the  bottles  of  Beer,  for  any 
money.  Begularly  once  a  fortnight  ever  since  we  have 
been  married,  John,  have  we  made  our  little  Pic-Mc 
there.  If  anything  was  to  go  wrong  with  it,  I  should 
almost  think  we  were  never  to  be  lucky  again." 

"It  was  a  kind  thought  in  the  first  instance,"  said  the 
Carrier;  "and  I  honor  you  for  it,  little  woman." 

"My  dear  John!"  replied  Dot,  turning  very  red. 
"Don't  talk  about  honoring  me.     Good  Gracious! " 


THE   CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH.  49 

"By -the -bye — "  observed  the  Carrier.  "That  old 
gentleman, " 

Again  so  visibly,  and  instantly  embarrassed. 

"He's  an  odd  fish,"  said  the  Carrier,  looking  straight 
along  the  road  before  them.  "I  can't  make  him  out.  I 
don't  believe  there's  any  harm  in  him." 

"None  at  all.     I'm — I'm  sure  there's  none  at  all." 

"Yes?"  said  the  Carrier,  with  his  eyes  attracted  to 
her  face  by  the  great  earnestness  of  her  manner.  "  I  am 
glad  you  feel  so  certain  of  it,  because  it's  a  confirmation 
to  me.  It's  curious  that  he  should  have  taken  it  into 
his  head  to  ask  leave  to  go  on  lodging  with  us ;  an't  it ! 
Things  come  about  so  strangely." 

"So  very  strangely,"  she  rejoined  in  a  low  voice: 
scarcely  audible. 

"However,  he's  a  good-natured  old  gentleman,"  said 
John,  "and  pays  as  a  gentleman,  and  I  think  his  word 
is  to  be  relied  upon,  like  a  gentleman's.  I  had  quite  a 
long  talk  with  him  this  morning :  he  can  hear  me  better 
already,  he  says,  as  he  gets  more  used  to  my  voice.  He 
told  me  a  great  deal  about  himself,  and  I  told  him  a 
good  deal  about  myself,  and  a  rare  lot  of  questions  he 
asked  me.  I  gave  him  information  about  my  having 
two  beats,  you  know,  in  my  business;  one  day  to  the 
right  from  our  house  and  back  again ;  another  day  to 
the  left  from  our  house  and  back  again  (for  he's  a 
stranger  and  don't  know  the  names  of  places  about 
here);  and  he  seemed  quite  pleased.  'Why,  then  I 
shall  be  returning  home  to-night  your  way, '  he  says, 


50  THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH. 

'  when  I  thought  you'd  be  coming  in  an  exactly  opposite 
direction.  That's  capital.  I  may  trouble  you  for  an- 
other lift,  perhaps,  but  I'll  engage  not  to  fall  so  sound 
asleep  again.'  He  was  sound  asleep,  sure-ly! — Dot! 
what  are  you  thinking  of!  " 

u  Thinking  of,  John  %    I — I  was  listening  to  you. " 

"  Oh !  That's  all  right ! "  said  the  honest  Carrier.  "  I 
was  afraid,  from  the  look  of  your  face,  that  I  had  gone 
rambling  on  so  long,  as  to  set  you  thinking  about  some- 
thing else.     I  was  very  near  it,  I'll  be  bound." 

Dot  making  no  reply,  they  jogged  on,  for  some  little 
time  in  silence.  But  it  was  not  easy  to  remain  silent 
very  long  in  John  Peerybiugle's  cart,  for  everybody  on 
the  road  had  something  to  say ;  and  though  it  might  only 
be  "  How  are  you ! n  and  indeed  it  was  very  often  noth- 
ing else,  still,  to  give  that  back  again  in  the  right  spirit 
of  cordiality,  required,  not  merely  a  nod  and  a  smile, 
but  as  wholesome  an  action  of  the  lungs  withal  as  a  long- 
winded  Parliamentary  speech.  Sometimes  passengers 
on  foot,  or  horseback,  plodded  on  a  little  way  beside  the 
cart,  for  the  express  purpose  of  having  a  chat ;  and  then 
there  was  a  great  deal  to  be  said,  on  both  sides. 

Then,  Boxer  gave  occasion  to  more  good-natured  rec- 
ognitions of  and  by  the  Carrier,  than  half  a  dozen  Chris- 
tians could  have  done !  Wherever  he  went,  somebody  or 
other  might  have  been  heard  to  cry,  "Halloa!  Here's 
Boxer!"  And  out  came  that  somebody  forthwith,  ac- 
companied by  at  least  two  or  three  other  somebodies,  to 
give  John  Peerybingle  and  his  pretty  wife,  Good  Day 


THE   CRICKET  ON  THE  HEARTH.  51 

The  packages  and  parcels  for  the  errand-cart  were 
numerous ;  and  there  were  many  stoppages  to  take  them 
in  and  give  them  out ;  which  were  not  by  any  means  the 
worst  parts  of  the  journey.  Likewise,  there  were  articles 
to  carry,  which  required  to  be  considered  and  discussed, 
and  in  reference  to  the  adjustment  and  disposition  of 
which,  councils  had  to  be  holden  by  the  Carrier  and  the 
senders :  at  which  Boxer  usually  assisted,  in  short  fits  of 
the  closest  attention,  and  long  fits  of  tearing  round  and 
round  the  assembled  sages  and  barking  himself  hoarse. 
Of  all  these  little  incidents,  Dot  was  the  amused  and 
open-eyed  spectatress  from  her  chair  in  the  cart ;  and  as 
she  sat  there,  looking  on :  there  was  no  lack  of  nudgings 
and  glancings  and  whisperings  and  envyings  among  the 
younger  men,  I  promise  you.  And  this  delighted  John 
the  Carrier,  beyond  measure ;  for  he  was  proud  to  have 
his  little  wife  admired ;  knowing  that  she  didn't  mind  it 
— that,  if  anything,  she  rather  liked  it  perhaps. 

The  trip  was  a  little  foggy,  to  be  sure,  in  the  January 
weather;  and  was  raw  and  cold.  But  who  cared  for 
such  trifles?  Not  Dot,  decidedly.  Not  Tilly  Slowboy, 
for  she  deemed  sitting  in  a  cart,  on  any  terms,  to  be  the 
highest  point  of  human  joys;  the  crowning  circumstance 
of  earthly  hopes.  Not  the  Baby,  I'll  be  sworn ;  for  it's 
not  in  Baby  nature  to  be  warmer  or  more  sound  asleep, 
though  its  capacity  is  great  in  both  respects,  than  that 
blessed  young  Peerybingle  was,  all  the  way. 

You  couldn't  see  very  far  in  the  fog,  of  course ;  but 
you  could  see  a  great  deal.     It's  astonishing  how  much 


52  THE   CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH. 

you  may  see,  in  a  thicker  fog  than  that,  if  you  will  only 
take  the  trouble  to  look  for  it.  Why,  even  to  sit  watch- 
ing for  the  Fairy-rings  in  the  fields,  and  for  the  patches 
of  hoar-frost  still  lingering  in  the  shade,  near  hedges  and 
by  trees,  was  a  pleasant  occupation :  to  make  no  mention 
of  the  unexpected  shapes  in  which  the  trees  themselves 
came  starting  out  of  the  mist,  and  glided  into  it  again. 

In  one  place,  there  was  a  great  mound  of  weeds  or 
stubble  burning;  and  they  watched  the  fire,  flaring 
through  the  fog,  with  only  here  and  there  a  dash  of  red 
in  it,  until,  in  consequence  as  she  observed  of  the  smoke 
"getting  up  her  nose,"  Miss  Slowboy  choked  and  woke 
the  Baby,  who  wouldn't  go  to  sleep  again.  But  Boxer, 
who  was  in  advance  some  quarter  of  a  mile  or  so,  had 
already  passed  the  outposts  of  the  town,  and  gained  the 
corner  of  the  street  where  Caleb  and  his  daughter  lived ; 
and  long  before  they  reached  the  door,  he  and  the  Blind 
Girl  were  on  the  pavement  waiting  to  receive  them. 

Boxer,  by  the  way,  made  certain  delicate  distinctions 
of  his  own,  in  his  communication  with  Bertha,  whieh 
persuades  me  fully  that  he  knew  her  to  be  blind.  He 
never  sought  to  attract  her  attention  by  looking  at  her, 
as  he  often  did  with  other  people,  but  touched  her  in- 
variably. Therefore  he  had  hold  of  Bertha,  by  the 
skirt,  and  kept  hold,  until  Mrs.  Peerybingle  and  the 
Baby,  and  Miss  Slowboy,  and  the  basket,  were  all  got 
safely  within  doors. 

May  Fielding  was  already  come;  and  so  was  her 
mother — a  little  querulous  chip  of  an  old  lady  with  a 


THE   CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH. 


53 


peevish  face,  who,  in  right  of  having  preserved  a  waist 
like  a  bedpost,  was  supposed  to  he  a  most  transcendent 
figure;  and  who,  in  consequence  of  having  once  been 
better  oif,  was  very  genteel  and  patronizing  indeed 


54  THE  CRICKET  ON  THE  HEARTH. 

Gruff  and  Tackleton  was  also  there,  doing  the  agreeable ; 
with  the  evident  sensation  of  being  as  perfectly  at  home 
as  a  fresh  young  salmon  on  the  top  of  the  Great  Pyra- 
mid. 

"May!  My  dear  old  friend!"  cried  Dot,  running  up 
to  meet  her.     "  What  a  happiness  to  see  you! n 

Her  old  friend  was,  to  the  full,  as  hearty  and  as  glad 
as  she ;  and  it  really  was  a  pleasant  sight  to  see  them 
embrace.  Tackleton  was  a  man  of  taste,  beyond  all 
questiou.     May  was  very  pretty. 

Tackleton  had  brought  his  leg  of  mutton,  and,  won- 
derful to  relate,  a  tart  besides,  and  in  addition  to  these 
dainties,  there  were  the  Veal  and  Ham-Pie,  and  "  things, " 
as  Mrs.  Peerybingle  called  them;  which  were  chiefly 
nuts  and  oranges,  and  cakes,  and  such  small  deer. 
When  the  repast  was  set  forth  on  the  board,  flanked  by 
Caleb's  contribution,  which  was  a  great  wooden  bowl  of 
smoking  potatoes,  Tackleton  led  his  intended  mother-in- 
law  to  the  Post  of  Honor. 

Caleb  sat  next  his  daughter ;  Dot  and  her  old  school- 
fellow were  side  by  side ;  the  good  Carrier  took  care  of 
the  bottom  of  the  table.  Miss  Slowboy  was  isolated,  for 
the  time  being,  from  every  article  of  furniture  but  the 
chair  she  sat  on,  that  she  might  have  nothing  else  to 
knock  the  Baby's  head  against. 

As  Tilly  stared  about  her  at  the  Dolls  and  Toys  they 
stared  at  her  and  at  the  company.  The  venerable  old 
gentlemen  at  the  street  doors  (who  were  all  in  full 
action)  showed  especial  interest  in  the  party:  pausing 


THE   CRICKET   ON   THE  HEARTH.  55 

occasionally  before  leaping,  as  if  they  were  listening  to 
the  conversation:  and  then  plunging  Tildly  over  and 
over,  a  great  many  times,  without  halting  for  breath,  — 
as  in  a  frantic  state  of  delight  with  the  whole  proceed- 
ings. 

Certainly,  if  these  old  gentlemen  were  inclined  to  have 
a  fiendish  joy  in  the  contemplation  of  Tackleton's  dis- 
comfiture, they  had  good  reason  to  be  satisfied.  Tackle  - 
ton  couldn't  get  on  at  all ;  and  the  more  cheerful  his  in- 
tended Bride  became  in  Dot's  society,  the  less  he  liked 
it,  though  he  had  brought  them  together  for  that  pur- 
pose. 

"Ah,  May!"  said  Dot.  "Dear,  dear,  what  changes! 
To  talk  of  those  merry  school-days  makes  one-  young 
again. " 

"Why,  you  an't  particularly  old,  at  any  time;   are 
you  I "  said  Tackleton. 

"Look  at  my  sober,  plodding  husband  there,"  re- 
turned Dot.  "  He  adds  Twenty  years  to  my  age  at  least. 
Don't  you,  John?" 

"Forty,"  John  replied. 

"How  many  you'll  add  to  May's,  I  am  sure  I  don't 
know,"  said  Dot,  laughing.  "But  she  can't  be  much 
less  than  a  hundred  years  of  age  on  her  next  birthday. " 

"Ha,  ha!"  laughed  Tackleton.  Hollow  as  a  drum, 
that  laugh,  though.  And  he  looked  as  if  he  could  hav« 
twisted  Dot's  neck  comfortably. 

"Dear,  dear!"  said  Dot.  "  Only  to  remember  how  we 
used  to  talk,   at  school,  about  the  husbands  we  would 


o6  THE    CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH. 

ohoose.  I  don't  know  how  yonng,  and  how  handsome, 
and  how  gay,  ana  how  lively,  mine  was  not  to  be !  and 
as  to  May's! — Ah  dear!  I  don't  know  whether  to  laugh 
or  cry,  when  I  think  what  silly  girls  we  were. " 

May  seemed  to  know  which  to  do ;  for  the  color  flashed 
into  her  face,  and  tears  stood  in  her  eyes. 

"  Even  the  very  persons  themselves — real  live  young 
men — we  fixed  on  sometimes,"  said  Dot.  "We  little 
thought  how  things  would  come  about.  I  never  fixed  on 
John,  I'm  sure;  I  never  so  much  as  thought  of  him. 
And  if  I  had  told  you,  you  were  ever  to  be  married  to 
Mr.  Tackleton,  why  you'd  have  slapped  me.  Wouldn't 
you,  May ! " 

Though  May  didn't  say  yes,  she  certainly  didn't  say 
no,  or  express  no,  by  any  means. 

Tackleton  laughed — quite  shouted,  he  laughed  so  loud. 
John  Peerybingle  laughed  too,  in  his  ordinary  good- 
natured  and  contented  manner;  but  his  was  a  mere 
whisper  of  a  laugh  to  Tackleton's. 

"You  couldn't  help  yourselves,  for  all  that.  You 
couldn't  resist  us,  you  see,"  said  Tackleton.  "Here  we 
are !  Here  we  are !  Where  are  your  gay  young  bride- 
grooms now  !  " 

"Some  of  them  are  dead,"  said  Dot;  "and  some  of 
them  forgotten.  Some  of  them,  if  they  could  stand 
among  us  at  this  moment,  would  not  believe  we  were 
the  same  creatures ;  would  not  believe  that  what  they 
saw  and  heard  was  real,  and  we  could  forget  them  so. 
No !  they  would  not  believe  one  word  of  it !  * 


THE  CRICKET  ON  THE  HEARTH.  57 

"Why,  Dot!"  exclaimed  the  Carrier.  "Little 
woman ! n 

She  had  spoken  with  such  earnestness  and  fire,  that 
she  stood  in  need  of  some  recalling  to  herself,  without 
doubt.  Her  husband's  check  was  very  gentle,  for  he 
merely  interfered,  as  he  supposed,  to  shield  old  Tackle  - 
ton ;  but  it  proved  effectual,  for  she  stopped,  and  said  no 
more.  There  was  an  uncommon  agitation,  even  in  her 
silence,  which  the  wary  Tackleton,  who  had  brought  his 
half-shut  eye  to  bear  upon  her,  noted  closely. 

May  uttered  no  word  good  or  bad,  but  sat  quite  still, 
with  her  eyes  cast  down ;  and  made  no  sign  of  interest  in 
what  had  passed.  The  good  lady  her  mother  now  inter- 
posed: observing,  in  the  first  instance,  that  girls  were 
girls,  and  bygones  bygones,  and  that  so  long  as  young 
people  were  young  and  thoughtless,  they  would  probably 
conduct  themselves  like  young  and  thoughtless  persons: 
with  two  or  three  other  positions  of  a  no  less  sound  and 
incontrovertible  character.  She  then  remarked  that  she 
would  not  allude  to  the  past,  and  would  not  mention  that 
her  daughter  had  for  some  time  rejected  the  suit  of  Mr. 
Tackleton;  and  that  she  would  not  say  a  great  many 
other  things  which  she  did  say,  at  great  length.  Finally, 
she  delivered  it  as  the  general  result  of  her  observation 
and  experience,  that  those  marriages  in  which  there  was 
least  of  what  was  romantically  and  sillily  called  love, 
were  always  the  happiest ;  and  that  she  anticipated  the 
greatest  possible  amount  of  bliss — not  rapturous  bliss; 
but  the  solid,  steady-going  article — from  the  approach- 


58  THE    CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH. 


ing  nuptials.  She  coucluded  by  informing  the  company 
that  to-morrow  was  the  day  she  had  lived  for,  expressly ; 
and  that  when  it  was  over,  she  would  desire  nothing 
better  than  to  be  packed  up  and  disposed  of,  in  any  gen- 
teel place  of  burial. 

As  these  remarks  were  quite  unanswerable,  they 
changed  the  current  of  the  conversation,  and  diverted 
the  general  attention  to  the  Veal  and  Ham-Pie,  the  cold 
mutton,  the  potatoes,  and  the  tart.  In  order  that  the 
bottled  beer  might  not  be  slighted,  John  Peerybingle 
proposed  To-morrow:  the  Wedding-Day;  and  called 
upon  them  to  drink  a  bumper  to  it,  before  he  proceeded 
on  his  journey. 

For  you  ought  to  know  that  he  only  rested  there,  and 
gave  the  old  horse  a  bait.  He  had  to  go  some  four  or 
five  miles  farther  on ;  and  when  he  returned  in  the  even- 
ing, he  called  for  Dot,  and  took  another  rest  on  his  way 
home.  This  was  the  order  of  the  day  on  all  the  Pic-Nic 
occasions,  and  had  been  ever  since  their  institution. 

There  were  two  persons  present,  besides  the  bride  an 
bridegroom  elect,  who  did  but  indifferent  honor  to  the 
toast.  One  of  these  was  Dot,  too  flushed  and  discom- 
posed to  adapt  herself  to  any  small  occurrence  of  the 
moment ;  the  other,  Bertha,  who  rose  up  hurriedly,  be- 
fore the  rest,  and  left  the  table. 

u  Good-bye!  "  said  stout  John  Peerybingle,  pulling  on 
his  dreadnought  coat.  "I  shall  be  back  at  the  old  time. 
Good-bye,  all ! " 

"Good-bye,  John,"  returned  Caleb. 


•> 


THE   CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH.  59 

He  seemed  to  say  it  by  rote,  and  to  wave  his  hand  in 
the  same  unconscious  manner ;  for  he  stood  observing 
Bertha  with  an  anxious  wondering  face,  that  never 
altered  its  expression. 

"Good-bye,  young  shaver!"  said  the  jolly  Carrier, 
bending  down  to  kiss  the  child ;  which  Tilly  Slowboy, 
now  intent  upon  her  knife  and  fork,  had  deposited 
asleep  (and  strange  to  say,  without  damage)  in  a  little 
cot  of  Bertha's  furnishing ;  "  good-bye !  Time  will  come, 
I  suppose,  when  you'll  turn  out  into  the  cold,  my  little 
friend,  and  leave  your  old  father  to  enjoy  his  pipe  and 
his  rheumatics  in  the  chimney-corner;  eh?  "Where's 
Dot?" 

"I'm  here,  John!"  she  said,  starting. 

"  Come,  come ! "  returned  the  Carrier,  clapping  his 
sounding  hands.     "Where's  the  Pipe?  " 

"I  quite  forgot  the  Pipe,  John." 

Forgot  the  Pipe !  Was  such  a  wonder  ever  heard  of ! 
She !     Forgot  the  Pipe ! 

"I'll— I'll  fill  it  directly.     It's  soon  done." 

But  it  was  not  so  soon  done,  either.  It  lay  in  the 
usual  place;  the  Carrier's  dreadnought  pocket;  with  the 
little  pouch,  her  own  work ;  from  which  she  was  used  to 
fill  it ;  but  her  hand  shook  so,  that  she  entangled  it  and 
bungled  terribly.  During  the  whole  process,  Tackleton 
stood  looking  on  with  the  half -closed  eye ;  which,  when- 
ever it  met  hers,  augmented  her  confusion  in  a  most  re- 
markable degree. 

"  Why,  what  a  clumsy  Dot  you  are,  this  afternoon !  " 


60  THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH. 

said  John.  "  I  could  have  done  it  better  myself,  I  verily 
believe ! " 

With  these  good-natured  words  he  strode  away ;  and 
presently  was  heard,  in  company  with  Boxer,  and  the 
old  horse,  and  the  cart,  making  lively  music  down  the 
road.  What  time  the  dreamy  Caleb  still  stood,  watch- 
ing his  Blind  Daughter,  with  the  same  expression  on  his 
face. 

"Bertha! "  said  Caleb,  softly.  "What  has  happened! 
How  changed  you  are,  my  Darling,  in  a  few  hours — 
since  this  morning.  You  silent  and  dull  all  day  t  What 
isit«     Tell  me!" 

"Oh,  father,  father!"  cried  the  Blind  Girl,  bursting 
into  tears.     "  Oh  my  hard,  hard  Fate ! n 

Caleb  drew  his  hand  across  his  eyes  before  he  answered 
her. 

"But  think  how  cheerful  and  how  happy  you  have 
been,  Bertha!  How  good,  and  how  much  loved,  by 
many  people." 

"That  strikes  me  to  the  heart,  dear  father!  Always 
so  mindful  of  me !     Always  so  kind  to  me ! " 

Caleb  was  very  much  perplexed  to  understand  her. 

"To  be — to  be  blind,  Bertha,  my  poor  dear, n  he  fal- 
tered, "is  a  great  affliction;  but " 

"  I  have  never  felt  it ! "  cried  the  Blind  GirL  "  I  have 
never  felt  it,  in  its  fulness.  Never!  I  have  sometimes 
wished  that  I  could  see  you,  or  could  see  him ;  only  once, 
dear  father;  only  for  one  little  minute;  that  I  might 
know  what  it  is  I  treasure  up,"  she  laid  her  hands  upon 


THE    CRICKET    ON   THE   HEARTH.  (31 

her  breast,  "and  hold  here!  That  I  might  be  sure  1 
have  it  right !  And  sometimes  (but  then  I  was  a  child) 
I  have  wept,  in  my  prayers  at  night,  to  think  that  when 
your  images  ascended  from  my  heart  to  Heaven,  they 
might  not  be  the  true  resemblance  of  yourselves.  But  I 
have  never  had  these  feelings  long.  They  have  passed 
away,  and  left  me  tranquil  and  contented." 

"And  they  will  again,"  said  Caleb. 

"But,  father!  Oh,  my  good,  gentle  father,  bear  with 
me,  if  I  am  wicked !  "  said  the  Blind  Girl.  "  This  is  not 
the  sorrow  that  so  weighs  me  down ! " 

Her  father  could  not  choose  but  let  his  moist  eyes 
overflow ;  she  was  so  earnest  and  pathetic.  But  he  did 
not  understand  her  yet. 

"Bring  her  to  me,"  said  Bertha.  "I  cannot  hold  it 
closed  and  shut  within  myself.  Bring  her  to  me, 
father ! " 

She  knew  he  hesitated,  and  said,  "May.     Bring  May." 

May  heard  the  mention  of  her  name,  and  coming 
quietly  toward  her,  touched  her  on  the  arm.  The  Blind 
Girl  turned  immediately,  and  held  her  by  both  hands. 

"Look  into  my  face,  Dear  heart,  Sweet  heart!"  said 
Bertha.  "Read  it  with  your  beautiful  eyes,  and  tell  me 
if  the  Truth  is  written  on  it. " 

"Dear  Bertha,  Yes!"  * 

The  Blind  Girl  still,  upturning  the  blank  sightless 
face,  down  which  the  tears  were  coursing  fast,  addressed 
her  in  these  words : 

u  There  is  not,  in  my  Soul,  a  wish  or  thought  that  is 


62  THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH. 

not  for  your  good,  bright  May!  There  is  not,  in  my 
Soul,  a  grateful  recollection  stronger  than  the  deep  re- 
membrance which  is  stored  there,  of  the  many,  many 
times  when,  in  the  full  pride  of  Sight  and  Beauty,  you 
have  had  consideration  for  Blind  Bertha,  even  when  we 
two  were  children,  or  when  Bertha  was  as  much  a  child 
as  ever  blindness  can  be !  Every  blessing  on  your  head ! 
Light  upon  your  happy  course !  Sot  the  less,  my  dear 
May ; "  and  she  drew  toward  her,  in  a  closer  grasp ;  "  not 
the  less,  my  Bird,  because,  to-day,  the  knowledge  that 
you  are  to  be  His  wife  has  wrung  my  heart  almost  to 
breaking!  Father,  May,  Mary!  Oh,  forgive  me  that 
it  is  so,  for  the  sake  of  all  he  has  done  to  relieve  the 
weariness  of  my  dark  life :  and  for  the  sake  of  the  belief 
you  have  in  me,  when  I  call  Heaven  to  witness  that  I 
could  not  wish  him  married  to  a  wife  more  worthy  of  his 
Goodness ! " 

While  speaking,  she  had  released  May  Fielding's 
hands,  and  clasped  her  garments  in  an  attitude  of  min- 
gled supplication  and  love.  Sinking  lower  and  lower 
down,  as  she  proceeded  in  her  strange  confession,  she 
dropped  at  last  at  the  feet  of  her  friend,  and  hid  her 
blind  face  in  the  folds  of  her  dress. 

"Great  Power!  "  exclaimed  her  father,  smitten  at  one 
blow  with  the  truth,  "have  I  deceived  her  from  her 
cradle,  but  to  break  her  heart  at  last !  " 

It  was  well  for  all  of  them  that  Dot,  that  beaming, 
useful,  busy  little  Dot,  was  there :  or  where  this  would 
have  ended,  it  were  hard  to  tell.     But  Dot,  recovering 


THE   CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH.  G3 

her  self-possession,  interposed,  before  May  could  reply, 
or  Caleb  say  another  word. 

"Come,  come,  dear  Bertha!  come  away  with  me! 
Give  her  your  arm,  May.  So !  How  composed  she  is, 
you  see,  already;  and  how  good  it  is  of  her  to  mind  us," 
said  the  cheery  little  woman,  kissing  her  upon  the  fore- 
head. "Come  away,  dear  Bertha!  Come!  and  here's 
her  good  father  will  come  with  her;  won't  you,  Caleb! 
To — be — sure!" 

Well,  well !  she  was  a  noble  little  Dot,  in  such  things, 
and  it  must  have  been  an  obdurate  nature  that  could 
have  withstood  her  influence.  When  she  had  got  poor 
Caleb  and  his  Bertha  away  that  they  might  comfort  and 
console  each  other,  as  she  knew  they  only  could,  she 
presently  came  bouncing  back,  to  mount  guard  over  that 
bridling  little  piece  of  consequence  in  the  cap  and  gloves, 
and  prevent  the  dear  old  creature  from  making  discov- 
eries. 

"So  bring  me  the  precious  Baby,  Tilly,"  said  she, 
drawing  a  chair  to  the  fire ;  "and  while  I  have  it  in  my 
lap,  here's  Mrs.  Fielding,  Tilly,  will  tell  me  all  about 
the  management  of  Babies,  and  put  me  right  in  twenty 
points  where  I'm  as  wrong  as  can  be.  Won't  you,  Mrs. 
Fielding?" 

Not  even  the  Welsh  Giant  fell  half  so  readily  into  the 
Snare  prepared  for  him,  as  the  old  lady  into  this  artful 
Pitfall.  The  fact  of  Tackleton  having  walked  out ;  and 
furthermore,  of  two  or  three  people  having  been  talking 
together  at  a  distance,  for  two  minutes,  leaving  her  to 


64  THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH. 

her  own  resources ;  was  quite  enough  to  have  put  her  on 
her  dignity.  But  this  becoming  deference  to  her  expe- 
rience, on  the  part  of  the  young  mother,  was  so  irresisti- 
ble, that  after  a  short  affectation  of  humility,  she  began 
to  enlighten  her  with  the  best  grace  in  the  world ;  and 
sitting  bolt  upright  before  the  wicked  Dot,  she  did,  in 
half  an  hour,  deliver  more  infallible  domestic  recipes 
and  precepts,  than  would  have  utterly  destroyed  that 
.Young  Peerybingle,  though  he  had  been  an  Infant 
Samson. 

To  change  the  theme,  Dot  did  a  little  needlework — she 
carried  the  contents  of  a  whole  workbox  in  her  pocket — 
then  did  a  little  nursing ;  then  a  little  more  needlework ; 
then  had  a  little  whispering  chat  with  May,  while  the 
old  lady  dozed;  and  so  in  little  bits  of  bustle,  which  was 
quite  her  manner  always,  found  it  a  very  short  after- 
noon. Then,  as  it  grew  dark,  and  as  it  was  a  solemn 
part  of  this  Institution  of  the  Pic-N"ic  that  she  should 
perform  all  Bertha's  household  tasks,  she  trimmed  the 
fire,  and  swept  the  hearth,  and  set  the  teaboard  out,  and 
drew  the  curtain,  and  lighted  a  candle.  Then  she  played 
an  air  or  two  on  a  rude  kind  of  harp,  which  Caleb  had 
contrived  for  Bertha,  and  played  them  very  well ;  for 
Nature  had  made  her  delicate  little  ear  as  choice  a  one 
for  music  as  it  would  have  been  for  jewels,  if  she  had 
had  any  to  wear.  By  this  time  it  was  the  established 
hour  for  having  tea ;  and  Tackleton  came  back  again  to 
share  the  meal  and  spend  the  evening. 

Caleb  and  Bertha  had  returned  some  time  before,  and 


THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH.  Q§ 

Caleb  had  sat  down  to  his  afternoon's  work.  But  ho 
couldn't  settle  to  it,  poor  fellow,  being  anxious  and  re- 
morseful for  his  daughter.  It  was  touching  to  see  him 
sitting  idle  on  his  working-stool,  regarding  her  so  wist- 
fully; and  always  saying  in  his  face,  "Have  I  deceived 
her  from  her  cradle  but  to  break  her  heart ! " 

When  it  was  night,  and  tea  was  done,  and  Dot  had 
nothing  more  to  do  in  washing  up  the  cups  and  saucers ; 
in  a  word,  when  the  time  drew  nigh  for  expecting  the 
Carrier's  return,  her  manner  changed  again ;  her  color 
came  and  went ;  and  she  was  very  restless. 

Wheels  heard.  A  horse's  feet.  The  barking  of  a 
dog.  The  gradual  approach  of  all  the  sounds.  The 
scratching  paw  of  Boxer  at  the  door ! 

"Whose  step  is  that!  "  cried  Bertha,  starting  up. 

"Whose  step?"  returned  the  Carrier,  standing  in  the 
portal,  with  his  brown  fac^?  ruddy  as  a  winter  berry  from 
the  keen  night  air.     "Why,  mine." 

"The  other  step,"  said  Bertha.  "The  man's  tread 
behind  you  ? " 

"She  is  not  to  be  deceived,"  observed  the  Carrier, 
laughing.  "  Come  along,  Sir.  You'll  be  welcome,  never 
fear ! " 

He  spoke  in  a  loud  tone ;  and  as  he  spoke,  the  deaf 
old  gentleman  entered. 

"  He's  not  so  much  a  stranger,  that  you  haven't  seen 
him  once,  Caleb,"  said  the  Carrier.  "You'll  give  him 
house-room  till  we  go?  " 

"Oh  surely,  John;  and  take  it  as  an  honor. * 


fc 


60  THE   CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH. 

"He's  the  best  company  on  earth,  to  talk  secrets  in," 
said  John.  "I  have  reasonable  good  lungs,  but  he  tries 
'em,  I  can  tell  you.  Sit  down,  Sir.  All  friends  here, 
and  glad  to  see  you !  " 

When  he  had  imparted  this  assurance  in  a  voice  that 
amply  corroborated  what  he  had  said  about  his  lungs, 
he  added  in  his  natural  tone,  "A  chair  in  the  chimney- 
corner,  and  leave  to  sit  quite  silent  and  look  pleasantly 
about  him,  is  all  he  cares  for.     He's  easily  pleased." 

Bertha  had  been  listening  intently.  She  called  Caleb 
to  her  side,  when  he  had  set  the  chair,  and  asked  him, 
in  a  low  voice,  to  describe  their  visitor.  When  he  had 
done  so  (truly  now,  with  scrupulous  fidelity),  she  moved, 
for  the  first  time  since  he  had  come  in,  and  sighed ;  and 
seemed  to  have  no  further  interest  concerning  him. 

The  Carrier  was  in  high  spirits,  good  fellow  that  he 
was ;  and  fonder  of  his  little  wife  than  ever. 

"A  clumsy  Dot  she  was,  this  afternoon!"  he  said, 
encircling  her  with  his  rough  arm,  as  she  stood,  removed 
from  the  rest ;  "  and  yet  I  like  her  somehow.  See  yon- 
der, Dot ! " 

He  pointed  to  the  old  man.  She  looked  down.  I 
think  she  trembled. 

"He's — ha,  ha,  ha! — he's  full  of  admiration  for  you!  " 
said  the  Carrier.  "Talked  of  nothing  else,  the  whole 
way  here.    Why,  he's  a  brave  old  boy.    I  like  him  for  it !  " 

"I  wish  he  had  had  a  better  subject,  John;  "  she  said, 
with  an  uneasy  glance  about  the  room ;  at  Tackleton  es- 
pecially. 


THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH.  67 

u  A  better  subject ! "  cried  the  jovial  John.  "  There's 
no  such  thing.  Come !  off  with  the  great- coat,  off  with 
the  thick  shawl,  off  with  the  heavy  wrappers!  and  a 
cosy  half -hour  by  the  fire !  My  humble  service,  Mistress. 
A  game  of  cribbage,  you  and  I!  That's  hearty.  The 
cards  and  board,  Dot.  And  a  glass  of  beer  here,  if 
there's  any  left,  small  wife ! " 

His  challenge  was  addressed  to  the  old  lady,  who  ac- 
cepting it  with  gracious  readiness,  they  were  soon  en- 
gaged upon  the  game.  At  first,  the  Carrier  looked 
about  him  sometimes,  with  a  smile,  or  now  and  then 
called  Dot  to  peep  over  his  shoulder  at  his  hand,  and 
advise  him  on  some  knotty  point.  But  his  adversary 
being  a  rigid  disciplinarian,  and  subject  to  an  occasional 
weakness  in  respect  of  pegging  more  than  she  was 
entitled  to,  required  such  vigilance  on  his  part,  as 
left  him  neither  eyes  nor  ears  to  spare.  Thus  his  whole 
attention  gradually  became  absorbed  upon  the  cards; 
and  he  thought  of  nothing  else,  until  a  hand  upon 
his  shoulder  restored  him  to  a  consciousness  of  Tackle- 
ton. 

"I  am  sorry  to  disturb  you — but  a  word,  directly." 
"I'm  going  to  deal,"  returned  the  Carrier.     "It's  a 
crisis. " 

"  It  is, "  said  Tackleton.     "  Come  here,  man ! " 
There  was  that  in  his  pale  face  which  made  the  other 
rise  immediately,   and  ask  him,   in  a  hurry,  what  the 
matter  was. 

"Hush!  John  Peerybingle, "  said  Tackleton.     "I  am 
6 


68  THE   CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH. 

sorry  for  this.     I  am  indeed.     I  have  been  afraid  of  it. 
I  have  suspected  it  from  the  first." 

"What  is  it?"  asked  the  Carrier,  with  a  frightened 
aspect. 

"  Hush !     I'll  show  you,  if  you'll  come  with  me." 

The  Carrier  accompanied  him,  without  another  word. 
They  went  across  a  yard,  where  the  stars  were  shining ; 
and  by  a  little  side  door,  into  Tackleton's  own  counting- 
house,  where  there  was  a  glass-window,  commanding  the 
ware-room,  which  was  closed  for  the  night.  There  was 
no  light  in  the  counting-house  itself,  but  there  were 
lamps  in  the  long  narrow  ware-room :  and  consequently 
the  window  was  bright. 

"  A  moment, "  said  Tackleton.  "  Can  you  bear  to  look 
through  that  window,  do  you  think  1 " 

"Why  not?  "  returned  the  Carrier. 

"A  moment  more,"  said  Tackleton.  "Don't  commit 
any  violence.  It's  no  use.  It's  dangerous  too.  You're 
a  strong-made  man ;  and  you  might  do  murder  before 
you  know  it. " 

The  Carrier  looked  him  in  the  face,  and  recoiled  a 
step  as  if  he  had  been  struck.  In  one  stride  he  was  at 
the  window,  and  he  saw 

He  saw  her  with  the  old  man ;  old  no  longer,  but  erect 
and  gallant:  bearing  in  his  hand  the  false  white  hair 
that  had  won  his  way  into  their  home.  He  saw  her  list- 
ening  to  him,  as  he  bent  his  head  to  whisper  in  her  ear ; 
and  suffering  him  to  clasp  her  round  the  waist,  as  they 
moved  slowly  down  the  dim  wooden  gallery  toward  the 


THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH.  69 

door  by  which  they  had  entered  it.  He  saw  them  stop, 
and  saw  her  turn — to  have  the  face,  the  face  he  loved 
so,  so  presented  to  his  view ! — and  saw  her  with  her  own 
hands,  adjust  the  Lie  upon  his  head,  laughing,  as  she 
did  it,  at  his  unsuspicious  nature ! 

He  clenched  his  strong  right  hand  at  first,  as  if  it 
would  have  beaten  down  a  lion.  But  opening  it  imme- 
diately again,  he  spread  it  out  before  the  eyes  of  Tackle- 
ton  (for  he  was  tender  of  her,  even  then),  and  so,  as 
they  passed  out,  fell  down  upon  a  desk,  and  was  as  weak 
as  any  infant. 

He  was  wrapped  up  to  the  chin,  and  busy  with  his 
horse  and  parcels,  when  she  came  into  the  room,  pre- 
pared for  going  home. 

"Now  John,  dear!  Good  night,  May!  Good  night, 
Bertha ! " 

Could  she  kiss  them !  Could  she  be  blithe  and  cheer- 
ful in  her  parting?  Could  she  venture  to  reveal  her 
face  to  them  without  a  blush?  Yes.  Tackleton  ob- 
served her  closely ;  and  she  did  all  this.  : 

"Now  Tilly,  give  me  the  Baby.  Good  night,  Mr. 
Tackleton.     Where's  John,  for  Goodness'  sake?" 

"He's  going  to  walk,  beside  the  horse's  head,"  said 
Tackleton ;  who  helped  her  to  her  seat. 

"My  dear  John.     Walk?     To-night?"- 

The  muffled  figure  of  her  husband  made  a  hasty  sign 
in  the  affirmative ;  and  the  false  Stranger  and  the  little 
nurse  being  in  their  places,  the  old  horse  moved  off. 
Boxer,  the  unconscious  Boxer,  running  on  before,  run- 


70  THE   CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH. 

ning  back,  running  round  and  round  the  cart,  and  bark- 
ing as  triumphantly  and  merrily  as  ever. 

When  Tackleton  had  gone  off  likewise,  escorting  May 
and  her  mother  home,  poor  Caleb  sat  down  by  the  fire 
beside  his  daughter ;  anxious  and  remorseful  at  the  core ; 
and  still  saying  in  his  wistful  contemplation  of  her, 
"Have  I  deceived  her  from  her  cradle,  but  to  break  her 
heart  at  last !  " 

The  toys  that  had  been  set  in  motion  for  the  Baby, 
had  all  stopped  and  run  down  long  ago.  In  the  faint 
light  and  silence,  the  imperturbably  calm  dolls ;  the  agi- 
tated rocking-horses  with  distended  eyes  and  nostrils; 
the  old  gentlemen  at  the  street  doors,  standing,  half 
doubled  up,  upon  their  failing  knees  and  ankles;  the 
wry-faced  nutcrackers;  the  very  Beasts  upon  their 
way  into  the  Ark,  in  twos,  like  a  Boarding -School 
out  walking ;  might  have  been  imagined  to  be  stricken 
motionless  with  fantastic  wonder,  at  Dot  being  false, 
or  Tackleton  beloved,  under  any  combination  of  circum- 
stances. 


CHIEP   THE  THIED. 

The  Dutch  clock  in  the  corner  struck  Ten,  when  the 
Carrier  sat  down  by  his  fireside.  So  troubled  and  grief - 
worn,  that  he  seemed  to  scare  the  Cuckoo,  who,  having 
cut  his  ten  melodious  announcements  as  short  as  possi- 
ble, plunged  back  into  the  Moorish  Palace  again,  and 


THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH.  7l 

clapped  his  little  door  behind  him,  as  if  the  unwonted 
spectacle  were  too  much  for  his  feelings. 

If  the  little  Haymaker  had  been  armed  with  the 
sharpest  of  scythes,  and  had  cut  at  every  stroke  into  the 
Carrier's  heart,  he  never  could  have  gashed  and  wounded 
it,  as  Dot  had  done. 

It  was  a  heart  so  full  of  love  for  her ;  so  bound  up  and 
held  together  by  innumerable  threads  of  winning  remem- 
brance, spun  from  the  daily  working  of  her  many  qual- 
ities of  endearment ;  it  was  a  heart  in  which  she  had 
enshrined  herself  so  gently  and  so  closely ;  a  heart  so 
single  and  so  earnest  in  its  Truth :  so  strong  in  right,  so 
weak  in  wrong :  that  it  could  cherish  neither  passion  nor 
revenge  at  first,  and  had  only  room  to  hold  the  broken 
image  of  its  Idol. 

But  slowly,  slowly ;  as  the  Carrier  sat  brooding  on  his 
hearth,  now  cold  and  dark ;  other  and  fiercer  thoughts 
began  to  rise  within  him,  as  an  angry  wind  comes  rising 
in  the  night.  The  Stranger  was  beneath  his  outraged 
roof.  Three  steps  would  take  him  to  his  chamber  door. 
One  blow  would  beat  it  in.  "  You  might  do  Murder  be- 
fore you  know  it, "  Tackleton  had  said.  How  could  it 
be  Murder  if  he  gave  the  Villain  time  to  grapple  with 
him  hand  to  hand !     He  was  the  younger  man. 

It  was  an  ill-timed  thought,  bad  for  the  dark  mood  of 
his  mind.  It  was  an  angry  thought,  goading  him  to 
some  avenging  act,  that  should  change  the  cheerful 
house  into  a  haunted  p]  ace  which  lonely  travellers  would 
dread  to  pass  by  night ;   and  where  the  timid  would  see 


72  THE   CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH. 

shadows  struggling  in  the  ruined  windows  when  the 
moon  was  dim,  and  hear  wild  noises  in  the  stormy 
weather. 

He  was  the  younger  man !  Yes,  yes ;  some  lover  who 
had  won  the  heart  that  he  had  never  touched.  Some 
lover  of  her  early  choice ;  of  whom  she  had  thought  and 
dreamed ;  for  whom  she  had  pined  and  pined ;  when  he 
had  fancied  her  so  happy  by  his  side. 

She  had  been  above  stairs  with  the  Baby,  getting  it  to 
bed.  As  he  sat  brooding  on  the  hearth,  she  came  close 
beside  him,  without  his  knowledge,  and  put  her  little 
stool  at  his  feet.  He  only  knew  it,  when  he  felt  her 
hand  upon  his  own,  and  saw  her  looking  up  into  his  face. 

With  wonder !  [No.  It  was  his  first  impression,  and 
he  was  fain  to  look  at  her  again,  to  set  it  right.  No,  not 
with  wonder.  With  an  eager  and  inquiring  look ;  but 
not  with  wonder.  At  first  it  was  alarmed  and  serious ; 
then  it  changed  into  a  strange,  wild,  dreadful  smile  of 
recognition  of  his  thoughts ;  then  there  was  nothing  but 
her  clasped  hands  on  her  brow,  and  her  bent  head,  and 
falling  hair. 

He  could  not  bear  to  see  her  crouching  down  upon  the 
little  seat  where  he  had  often  looked  on  her,  with  love 
and  pride,  so  innocent  and  gay ;  and  when  she  rose  and 
left  him,  sobbing  as  she  went,  he  felt  it  a  relief  to  have 
the  vacant  place  beside  him  rather  than  her  so  long 
cherished  presence.  This  in  itself  was  anguish  keener 
than  all :  reminding  him  how  desolate  he  was  become, 
and  how  the  great  bond  of  his  life  was  rent  asunder. 


THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH.  73 

The  more  he  felt  this,  the  higher  and  the  stronger  rose 
his  wrath  against  his  enemy.  He  looked  about  him  for 
a  weapon. 

There  was  a  Gun  hanging  on  the  wall.  He  took  it 
down,  and  moved  a  pace  or  two  toward  the  door  of  the 
perfidious  Stranger's  room.  He  knew  the  Gun  was 
loaded.  Some  shadowy  idea  that  it  was  just  to  shoot 
this  man  like  a  Wild  Beast,  seized  him ;  and  dilated  in 
his  mind  until  it  grew  into  a  monstrous  demon  in  com- 
plete possession  of  him,  casting  out  all  milder  thoughts 
and  setting  up  its  undivided  empire. 

He  reversed  the  Gun  to  beat  the  stock  upon  the  door ; 
he  already  held  it  lifted  in  the  air ;  when,  suddenly,  the 
struggling  fire  illumined  the  whole  chimney  with  a  glow 
of  light ;  and  the  Cricket  on  the  Hearth  began  to  chirp ! 

No  sound  he  could  have  heard ;  no  human  voice,  not 
even  hers,  could  so  have  moved  and  softened  him.  The 
artless  words  in  which  she  had  told  him  of  her  love  for 
this  same  Cricket,  were  once  more  freshly  spoken ,  her 
trembling,  earnest  manner  at  the  moment,  was  again 
before  him;  her  voice — oh,  what  a  voice  it  was,  for 
making  household  music — thrilled  through  and  through 
his  better  nature,  and  awoke  it  into  life  and  action. 

He  recoiled  from  the  door,  like  a  man  walking  in  his 
sleep,  awakened  from  a  frightful  dream;  and  put  the 
Gun  aside.  Clasping  his  hands  before  his  face,  he  then 
sat  down  again  beside  the  fire,  and  found  relief  in  tears. 

The  Cricket  on  the  Hearth  came  out  into  the  room, 
and  stood  in  Fairy  shape  before  him. 


74  THE   CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH. 

" '  I  love  it, '  "  said  the  Fairy  Voice,  repeating  what  he 
well  remembered,  " '  for  the  many  times  I  have  heard  it, 
and  the  many  thoughts  its  harmless  music  has  given 
me. ' " 

"  She  said  so ! "  cried  the  Carrier.     "  True ! " 

" ■  This  has  been  a  happy  Home,  John ;  and  I  love  the 
Cricket  for  its  sake ! '  " 

"It  has  been,  Heaven  knows,"  returned  the  Carrier. 
"She  made  it  happy  always, — until  now." 

"So  gracefully  sweet-tempered;  so  domestic,  joyful, 
busy,  and  light-hearted, "  said  the  Voice. 

"Otherwise  I  never  could  have  loved  her  as  I  did," 
returned  the  Carrier. 

The  Voice,  correcting  him,  said  "Do." 

The  Carrier  repeated  "as  I  did."  But  not  firmly. 
His  faltering  tongue  resisted  his  control,  and  would 
speak  in  its  own  way,  for  itself  and  him. 

The  Figure,  in  an  attitude  of  invocation,  raised  its 
hand  and  said : 

"  Upon  your  own  hearth.  The  hearth  she  has — how 
often! — blessed  and  brightened,  the  hearth  which,  but 
for  her,  were  only  a  few  stones  and  bricks  and  rusty 
bars,  but  which  has  been,  through  her,  the  Altar  of  your 
Home ;  on  which  you  have  nightly  sacrificed  some  petty 
passion,  selfishness,  or  care,  and  offered  up  the  homage 
of  a  tranquil  mind,  a  trusting  nature,  and  an  overflow- 
ing heart ;  your  own  hearth ;  in  its  quiet  sanctuary ;  hear 
her !  Hear  me !  Hear  everything  that  speaks  the  Ian 
guage  of  your  hearth  and  heme!  " 


THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH.  75 

"And  pleads  for  her?  "  inquired  the  Carrier. 

u  All  things  that  speak  the  language  of  your  hearth 
and  home,  must  plead  for  her ! "  returned  the  Cricket. 
"For  they  speak  the  Truth." 

And  while  the  Carrier,  with  his  head  upon  his  hands, 
continued  to  sit  meditating  in  his  chair,  the  Presence 
stood  beside  him ;  suggesting  his  reflections  by  its  power, 
and  presenting  them  before  him,  as  in  a  Glass  or  Pict- 
ure. It  was  not  a  solitary  Presence.  From  the  hearth- 
stone, from  the  chimney ;  from  the  clock,  the  pipe,  the 
kettle,  and  the  cradle;  from  the  floor,  the  walls,  the 
ceiling,  and  the  stairs ;  from  the  cart  without,  and  the 
cupboard  within,  and  the  household  implements ;  from 
everything  and  every  place  with  which  she  had  ever 
been  familiar;  Fairies  came  trooping  forth.  Not  to 
stand  beside  him  as  the  Cricket  did,  but  to  busy  and  be- 
stir themselves.  To  do  all  honor  to  her  image.  To  pull 
him  by  the  skirts,  and  point  to  it  when  it  appeared.  To 
cluster  round  it,  and  embrace  it,  and  strew  flowers  for 
it  to  tread  on.  To  try  to  crown  its  fair  head  with  their 
tiny  hands.  To  show  that  they  were  very  fond  of  it 
and  loved  it ;  and  that  there  was  not  one  ugly,  wicked 
creature  to  claim  knowledge  of  it — none  but  their  play- 
ful and  approving  selves. 

His  thoughts  were  constant  to  her  Image.  It  was  al- 
ways there. 

She  sat  plying  her  needle  before  the  fire,  and  singing 
to  herself.  Such  a  blithe,  thriving,  steady  little  Dot! 
The  fairy  figures  turned  upon  him  all  at  once,  by  one 


fc 


T6  THE   CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH. 

consent,  with  one  prodigious  concentrated  stare;  and 
seemed  to  say  "Is  this  the  light  wife  you  are  mourning 
for?" 

There  were  sounds  of  gayety  outside :  musical  instru- 
ments, and  noisy  tongues,  and  laughter.  A  crowd  of 
young  merry-makers  came  pouring  in;  among  whom 
were  May  Fielding  and  a  score  of  pretty  girls.  Dot  was 
the  fairest  of  them  all ;  as  young  as  any  of  them  too,. 
They  came  to  summon  her  to  join  their  party.  It  was 
a  dance.  If  ever  little  foot  were  made  for  dancing,  hers 
was,  surely.  But  she  laughed,  and  shook  her  head,  and 
pointed  to  her  cookery  on  the  fire,  and  her  table  ready 
spread:  with  an  exulting  defiance  that  rendered  her 
more  charming  than  she  was  before.  And  so  she  merrily 
dismissed  them :  nodding  to  her  would-be  partners,  one 
by  one,  as  they  passed  out,  with  a  comical  indifference. 
And  yet  indifference  was  not  her  character.  Oh,  no! 
For  presently,  there  came  a  certain  Carrier  to  the  door ; 
and,  bless  her,  what  a  welcome  she  bestowed  upon  him ! 

Again  the  staring  figures  turned  upon  him  all  at  once 
and  seemed  to  say  "Is  this  the  wife  who  has  forsaken 
you ! " 

A  shadow  fell  upon  the  mirror  or  the  picture :  call  it 
what  you  will.  A  great  shadow  of  the  Stranger,  as  he 
first  stood  underneath  their  roof;  covering  its  surface, 
and  blotting  out  all  other  objects.  But  the  nimble  fair- 
ies worked  like  Bees  to  clear  it  off  again ;  and  Dot  again 
was  there.     Still  bright  and  beautiful. 

Eocking  her  little  Baby  in  its  cradle ;    singing  to  it 


THE   CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH.  f? 

softly;  and  resting  her  head  upon  a  shoulder  which  nad 
its  counterpart  in  the  musing  figure  by  which  the  Fairy 
Cricket  stood. 

The  night — I  mean  the  real  night :  not  going  by  Fairy 
clocks — was  wearing  now ;  and  in  this  stage  of  the  Car- 
rier's thoughts,  the  moon  burst  out,  and  shone  brightly 
in  the  sky.  Perhaps  some  calm  and  quiet  light  had  risen 
also  in  his  mind ;  and  he  could  think  more  soberly  of 
what  had  happened. 

Although  the  shadow  of  the  Stranger  fell  at  intervals 
upon  the  glass — always  distinct,  and  big,  and  thoroughly 
defined — it  never  fell  so  darkly  as  at  first.  Whenever  it 
appeared,  the  Fairies  uttered  a  general  cry  of  consterna- 
tion, and  plied  their  little  arms  and  legs,  with  incon- 
ceivable activity,  to  rub  it  out.  And  whenever  they  got 
at  Dot  again,  and  showed  her  to  him  once  more,  bright 
and  beautiful,  they  cheered  in  the  most  inspiring  man- 
ner. 

They  never  showed  her,  otherwise  than  beautiful  and 
bright,  for  they  were  Household  Spirits  to  whom  False- 
hood is  annihilation ;  and  being  so,  what  Dot  was  there 
for  them,  but  the  one  active,  beaming,  pleasant  little 
creature  who  had  been  the  light  and  sun  of  the  Carrier's 
Home! 

The  Fairies  were  prodigiously  excited  when  they 
showed  her,  with  the  Baby,  gossiping  among  a  knot  of 
sage  old  matrons,  and  affecting  to  be  wondrous  old  and 
matronly  herself,  and  leaning  in  a  staid,  demure  old 
way  upon  her  husband's  arm,  attempting — she!   such  a 


78  THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH. 

bud  of  a  little  woman — to  convey  the  idea  of  having  ab- 
jured the  vanities  of  the  world  in  general,  and  of  being 
the  sort  of  person  to  whom  it  was  no  novelty  at  all  to  be 
a  mother;  yet  in  the  same  breath,  they  showed  her, 
laughing  at  the  Carrier  for  being  awkward,  and  pulling 
up  his  shirt-collar  to  make  him  smart,  and  mincing  mer- 
rily about  that  very  room  to  teach  him  how  to  dance ! 

They  turned,  and  stared  immensely  at  him  when  they 
showed  her  with  the  Blind  Girl ;  for  though  she  carried 
cheerfulness  and  animation  with  her,  wheresoever  she 
went,  she  bore  those  influences  into  Caleb  Plummer's 
home,  heaped  up  and  running  over.  The  Blind  Girl's 
love  for  her,  and  trust  in  her,  and  gratitude  to  her ;  her 
own  good  busy  way  of  setting  Bertha's  thanks  aside ;  her 
dextrous  little  arts  for  filling  up  each  moment  of  the 
visit  in  doing  something  useful  to  the  house,  and  really 
working  hard  while  feigning  to  make  holiday;  her 
bountiful  provision  of  those  standing  delicacies,  the 
Veal  and  Ham-Pie  and  the  bottles  of  Beer ;  her  radiant 
little  face  arriving  at  the  door,  and  taking  leave ;  all  this 
the  Fairies  revelled  in,  and  loved  her  for.  And  once 
again  they  looked  upon  him  all  at  once,  appealingly; 
and  seemed  to  say,  while  some  among  them  nestled  in 
her  dress  and  fondled  her,  "Is  this  the  wife  who  has 
betrayed  your  confidence ! " 

More  than  once,  or  twice,  or  thrice,  in  the  long 
thoughtful  night,  they  showed  her  to  him  sitting  on  her 
favorite  seat,  with  her  bent  head,  her  hands  clasped  on 
her  brow,  her  falling  hair :  as  he  had  seen  her  last.     And 


THE   CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH.  79 

when  they  found  her  thus,  they  neither  turned  nor 
looked  upon  him,  but  gathered  close  round  her,  and 
comforted  and  kissed  her :  and  pressed  on  one  another 
to  show  sympathy  and  kindness  to  her :  and  forgot  him 
altogether. 

Thus  the  night  passed.  The  moon  went  down ;  the 
stars  grew  pale ;  the  cold  day  broke ;  the  sun  rose.  The 
Carrier  still  sat,  musing,  in  the  chimney  corner.  He 
had  sat  there,  with  his  head  upon  his  hands,  all  night. 
All  night  the  faithful  Cricket  had  been  Chirp,  Chirp, 
Chirping  on  the  Hearth.  All  night  he  had  listened  to 
its  voice.  All  night,  the  household  Fairies  had  been 
busy  with  him.  All  night,  she  had  been  amiable  and 
blameless  in  the  Glass,  except  when  that  one  shadow  fell 
upon  it, 

He  rose  up  when  it  was  broad  day,  and  washed  and 
dressed  himself.  He  couldn't  go  about  his  customary 
cheerful  avocations ;  he  wanted  spirit  for  them ;  but  it 
mattered  the  less,  that  it  was  Tackleton 's  wedding-day, 
and  he  had  arranged  to  make  his  rounds  by  proxy.  He 
had  thought  to  have  gone  merrily  to  church  with  Dot. 
But  such  plans  were  at  an  end.  It  was  their  own 
wedding-day  too.  Ah!  how  little  he  had  looked  for 
such  a  close  to  such  a  year ! 

The  Carrier  expected  that  Tackleton  would  pay  him 
an  early  visit ;  and  he  was  right.  He  had  not  walked  to 
and  fro  before  his  own  door  many  minutes,  when  he  saw 
the  Toy  Merchant  coming  in  his  chaise  along  the  road. 
As  the  chaise  drew  nearer,  he  perceived  that  Tackleton 


80  THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH. 

was  dressed  out  sprucely  for  his  marriage :  and  had  deco- 
rated his  horse's  head  with  flowers  and  favors. 

The  horse  looked  much  more  like  a  Bridegroom  than 
Tackleton ;  whose  half -closed  eye  was  more  disagreeably 
expressive  than  ever.  But  the  Carrier  took  little  heed 
of  this.     His  thoughts  had  other  occupation. 

"  John  Peerybingle !  "  said  Tackleton,  with  an  air  of 
condolence.  "My  good  fellow,  how  do  you  find  yourself 
this  morning  !  w 

"I  have  had  but  a  poor  night,  Master  Tackleton, " 
returned  the  Carrier,  shaking  his  head:  "for  I  have 
been  a  good  deal  disturbed  in  my  mind.  But  it's  over 
now !  Can  you  spare  me  half  an  hour  or  so  for  some 
private  talk?" 

"I  came  on  purpose,"  returned  Tackleton,  alighting. 
"Never  mind  the  horse.  He'll  stand  quiet  enough,  with 
the  reins  over  this  post,  if  you'll  give  him  a  mouthful  of 
hay." 

The  Carrier  having  brought  it  from  his  stable  and  set 
it  before  him,  they  turned  into  the  house. 

"  You  are  not  married  before  noon  1 "  he  said,  "  I  think  f " 

' '  No, "  answered  Tackleton.  u  Plenty  of  time.  Plenty 
of  time. " 

When  they  entered  the  kitchen,  Tilly  Slowboy  was 
rapping  at  the  Stranger's  door ;  which  was  only  removed 
from  it  by  a  few  steps.  One  of  her  very  red  eyes  (for 
Tilly  had  been  crying  all  night  long,  because  her  mis- 
tress cried)  was  at  the  keyhole ;  and  she  was  knocking 
very  loud ;  and  seemed  frightened. 


THE  CRICKET  ON  THE  HEARTH.  81 

"If  you  please  I  can't  make  nobody  hear,"  said  Tilly, 
looking  round.  "I  hope  nobody  an't  gone  and  been  and 
died  if  you  please ! " 

Tackleton  went  to  Tilly  Slowboy's  relief;  and  he 
kicked  and  knocked ;  and  he  too  failed  to  get  the  least 
reply.  But  he  thought  of  trying  the  handle  of  the  door ; 
and  as  it  opened  easily,  he  peeped  in,  and  soon  came 
running  out  again. 

"John  Peerybingle, "  said  Tackleton,  in  his  ear.  "I 
hope  there  has  been  nothing — nothing  rash  in  the  night." 

The  Carrier  turned  upon  him  quickly. 

"Because  he's  gone!"  said  Tackleton;  "and  the 
window's  open.  I  don't  see  any  marks — to  be  sure 
it's  almost  on  a  level  with  the  garden:  but  I  was 
afraid  there  might  have  been  some — some  scuffle. 
Eh?" 

"Make  yourself  easy,"  said  the  Carrier.  "He  went 
into  that  room  last  night,  without  harm  in  word  or  deed 
from  me ;  and  no  one  has  entered  it  since.  He  is  away 
of  his  own  free  will.  He  has  come  and  gone.  And  I 
have  done  with  him !  " 

"Oh! — Well,  I  think  he  has  got  off  pretty  easily," 
said  Tackleton,  taking  a  chair. 

The  sneer  was  lost  upon  the  Carrier,  who  sat  down 
too,  and  shaded  his  face  with  his  hand,  for  some  little 
time  before  proceeding. 

"You  showed  me  last  night,"  he  said  at  length,  "my 
wife ;  my  wife  that  I  love ;  secretly  conniving  at  that 
man's  disguise,  and  giving  him  opportunities  of  meeting 


82  THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH. 

her  alone.     I  think  there's  no  sight  I  wouldn't  have 
rather  seen  than  that. " 

"I  confess  to  having  had  my  suspicions  always,"  said 
Tackleton.  "And  that  has  made  me  objectionable  here, 
I  know. " 

"But  as  you  did  show  it  me, "pursued  the  Carrier,  not 
minding  him;  " and  as  you  saw  her ;  my  wife;  my  wife 
that  I  love" — his  voice,  and  eye,  and  hand  grew  stead- 
ier and  firmer  as  he  repeated  these  words :  evidently  in 
pursuance  of  a  steadfast  purpose — "as  you  saw  her  at 
this  disadvantage,  it  is  right  and  just  that  you  should 
also  see  with  my  eyes,  and  look  into  my  breast,  and 
know  what  my  mind  is,  upon  the  subject.  For  it's  set- 
tled," said  the  Carrier,  regarding  him  attentively. 
"And  nothing  can  shake  it  now." 

Tackleton  muttered  a  few  general  words  of  assent, 
about  its  being  necessary  to  vindicate  something  or 
other ;  but  he  was  overawed  by  the  manner  of  his  com- 
panion. Plain  and  unpolished  as  it  was,  it  had  a  some- 
thing dignified  and  noble  in  it,  which  nothing  but  the 
soul  of  generous  honor  dwelling  in  the  man  could  have 
imparted. 

"I  am  a  plain,  rough  man,"  pursued  the  Carrier, 
"with  very  little  to  recommend  me.  I  am  not  a  clever 
man,  as  you  very  well  know.  I  am  not  a  young  man. 
I  loved  my  little  Dot,  because  I  had  seen  her  grow  up, 
from  a  child,  in  her  father's  house ;  because  I  knew  how 
precious  she  was;  because  she  had  been  my  Life,  for 
years.     There's  many  men  I  can't  compare  with,  who 


THE    CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH.  83 

never  could  have  loved  my  little  Dot  like  nie,  I 
think ! » 

He  paused,  and  softly  beat  the  ground  a  short  time 
with  his  foot,  before  resuming : 

"I  often  thought  that  though  I  wasn't  good  enough  for 
her,  I  should  make  her  a  kind  husband,  and  perhaps 
know  her  value  better  than  another ;  and  in  this  way  I 
reconciled  it  to  myself,  and  came  to  think  it  might  be 
possible  that  we  should  be  married.  And  in  the  end  it 
came  about,  and  we  were  married. " 

"  Hah ! "  said  Tackleton,  with  a  significant  shake  of 
his  head. 

"I  had  studied  myself;  I  had  had  experience  of  my- 
self ;  I  knew  how  much  I  loved  her,  and  how  happy  I 
should  be,"  pursued  the  Carrier.  "But  I  had  not — I 
feel  it  now — sufficiently  considered  her." 

"To  be  sure,"  said  Tackleton.  "Giddiness,  frivolity, 
fickleness,  love  of  admiration!  Not  considered!  All 
left  out  of  sight!     Hah!" 

"You  had  best  not  interrupt  me,"  said  the  Carrier, 
with  some  sternness,  "till  you  understand  me;  and 
you're  wide  of  doing  so.  If,  yesterday,  I'd  have  struck 
that  man  down  at  a  blow,  who  dared  to  breathe  a  word 
against  her;  to-day  I'd  set  my  foot  upon  his  face,  if  he 
was  my  brother ! " 

The  Toy  Merchant  gazed  at  him  in  astonishment.  He 
went  on  in  a  softer  tone : 

"Did  I  consider,"  said  the  Carrier,  "that  I  took  her; 
at  her  age,  and  with  her  beauty ;   from  the  young  com- 


84  THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH. 

• 

panions,  and  the  many  scenes  of  which  she  was  the  orna< 
ment ;  to  shut  her  up  from  day  to  day  in  my  dull  house, 
and  keep  my  tedious  company  !  Did  I  consider  how  lit- 
tle suited  I  was  to  her  sprightly  humor,  and  how  weari- 
some a  plodding  man  like  me  must  be,  to  one  of  her 
quick  spirit  1  Did  I  consider  that  it  was  no  merit  in  me, 
or  claim  in  me,  that  I  loved  her,  when  everybody  must 
who  knew  her?  Never.  I  took  advantage  of  her  hope- 
ful nature  and  her  cheerful  disposition ;  and  I  married 
her.     I  wish  I  never  had !     For  her  sake ;  not  for  mine !  " 

The  Toy  Merchant  gazed  at  him  without  winking. 
Even  the  half -shut  eye  was  open  now. 

" Heaven  bless  her! "  said  the  Carrier,  "for  the  cheer- 
ful constancy  with  which  she  has  tried  to  keep  the 
kuowledge  of  this  from  me!  and  Heaven  help  me,  that 
in  my  slow  mind,  I  have  not  found  it  out  before !  Poor 
child!  Poor  Dot!  That  I  could  ever  hope  she  would 
be  fond  of  me !     That  I  could  ever  believe  she  was !  n 

"She  made  a  show  of  it,"  said  Tackleton.  "She  made 
such  a  show  of  it,  that  to  tell  you  the  truth  it  was  the 
origin  of  my  misgivings. " 

And  here  he  asserted  the  superiority  of  May  Fielding, 
who  certainly  made  no  sort  of  show  of  being  fond  of 
him. 

"She  has  tried,"  said  the  poor  Carrier,  with  greater 
emotion  than  he  had  exhibited  yet;  "I  only  now  begin 
to  know  how  hard  she  has  tried ;  to  be  my  dutiful  and 
zealous  wife.  How  good  she  has  been ;  how  much  she 
has  done ;  how  brave  and  strong  a  heart  she  has ;  let  the 


THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH.  85 

happiness  I  have  known  under  this  roof  bear  witness! 
It  will  be  some  help  and  comfort  to  me  when  I  am  here 
alone. " 

"Here  alone! "  said  Tackleton.  "Oh!  Then  you  do 
mean  to  take  some  notice  of  this  ? " 

"I  mean/7  returned  the  Carrier,  "to  do  her  the  great- 
est kindness,  and  make  her  the  best  reparation  in  my 
power.  I  can  release  her  from  the  daily  pain  of  an 
unequal  marriage,  and  the  struggle  to  conceal  it.  She 
shall  be  as  free  as  I  can  render  her. " 

"Make  her  reparation!"  exclaimed  Tackleton,  twist- 
ing and  turning  his  great  ears  with  his  hands.  "  There 
must  be  something  wrong  here.  You  didn't  say  that,  of 
course. " 

The  Carrier  set  his  grip  upon  the  collar  of  the  Toy 
Merchant,  and  shook  him  like  a  reed. 

"Listen  to  me!"  he  said.  " And  take  care  that  you 
hear  me  right.     Listen  to  me.     Do  I  speak  plainly  ?  " 

"Very  plainly  indeed,"  answered  Tackleton. 

"As  if  I  meant  it?"  .\ 

"Very  much  as  if  you  meant  it." 

"I  sat  upon  that  hearth,  last  night,  all  night,"  ex- 
claimed the  Carrier.  "On  the  spot  where  she  has  often 
sat  beside  me,  with  her  sweet  face  looking  into  mine.  I 
called  up  her  whole  life,  day  by  day ;  I  had  her  dear 
self,  in  its  every  passage,  in  review  before  me.  And 
upon  my  soul  she  is  innocent,  if  there  is  One  to  judge 
the  innocent  and  guilty !  Passion  and  distrust  have  left 
me,  and  nothing  but  my  grief  remains.     In  an  unhappy 


86  THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH. 

moment,  some  old  xover,  better  suited  to  her  tastes  and 
years  than  I;  forsaken,  perhaps,  for  me,  against  her 
will ;  returned.  In  an  unhappy  moment :  taken  by  sur- 
prise, and  wanting  time  to  think  of  what  she  did,  she 
made  herself  a  party  to  his  treachery,  by  concealiDg  it. 
Last  night  she  saw  him,  in  the  interview  we  witnessed. 
It  was  wrong.  But  otherwise  than  this,  she  is  innocent 
if  there  is  Truth  on  earth !  " 

"  If  that  is  your  opinion "  Tackleton  began. 

"So,  let  her  go!"  pursued  the  Carrier.  "Go,  with 
my  blessing  for  the  many  happy  hours  she  has  given  me, 
and  my  forgiveness  for  any  pang  she  has  caused  me. 
Let  her  go,  and  have  the  peace  of  mind  I  wish  her !  She'll 
never  hate  me.  She'll  learn  to  like  me  better,  when  I'm 
not  a  drag  upon  her,  and  she  wears  the  chain  I  have 
riveted,  more  lightly.  This  is  the  day  on  which  I  took 
her,  with  so  little  thought  for  her  enjoyment,  from  her 
home.  To-day  she  shall  return  to  it ;  and  I  will  trouble 
her  no  more.  Her  father  and  mother  will  be  here  to-day 
— we  had  made  a  little  plan  for  keeping  it  together — and 
they  shall  take  her  home.  I  can  trust  her  there,  or  any- 
where. She  leaves  me  without  blame,  and  she  will  live 
so,  I  am  sure.  If  I  should  die — I  may  perhaps  while  she 
is  still  young ;  I  have  lost  some  courage  in  a  few  hours 
— she'll  find  that  I  remembered  her  and  loved  her  to  the 
last !  This  is  the  end  of  what  you  showed  me.  Now, 
it's  over!" 

"Oh  no,  John,  not  over.  Do  not  say  it's  over  yet! 
Not  quite  yet.     I  have  heard  your  noble  words.     I  could 


THE   CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH.  87 

not  steal  away,  pretending  to  be  ignorant  of  what  has 
affected  me  with  snch  deep  gratitude.  Do  not  say  it's 
over,  till  the  clock  has  struck  again ! " 

She  had  entered  shortly  after  Tackleton ;  and  had 
remained  there.  She  never  looked  at  Tackleton,  but 
fixed  her  eyes  upon  her  husband.  But  she  kept  away 
from  him,  setting  as  wide  a  space  as  possible  between 
them ;  and  though  she  spoke  with  most  impassioned  ear- 
nestness, she  went  no  nearer  to  him  even  then.  How 
different  is  this,  from  her  old  self ! 

"  No  hand  can  make  the  clock  which  will  strike  again 
for  me  the  hours  that  are  gone,"  replied  the  Carrier, 
with  a  faint  smile.  "But  let  it  be  so,  if  you  will,  my 
dear.  It  will  strike  soon.  It's  of  little  matter  what  we 
say.     I'd  try  to  please  you  in  a  harder  case  than  that." 

"Well!"  muttered  Tackleton.  "I  must  be  off;  for 
when  the  clock  strikes  again,  it'll  be  necessary  for  me 
to  be  upon  my  way  to  church.  Good  morning,  John 
Peerybingle.  I'm  sorry  to  be  deprived  of  the  pleasure 
of  your  company.  Sorry  for  the  loss,  and  the  occasion 
of  it  too!" 

"I  have  spoken  plainly?"  said  the  Carrier,  accom- 
panying him  to  the  door. 

"Oh,  quite!" 

"And  you'll  remember  what  I  have  said?  " 

"Why,  if  you  compel  me  to  make  the  observation," 
said  Tackleton ;  previously  taking  the  precaution  of  get- 
ting into  his  chaise;  "I  must  say  that  it  was  so  very 
unexpected,  that  I'm  far  from  being  likely  to  forget  it." 


88  THE   CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH. 

"The    better    for    us  both,"   returned    the    Carrier, 
"  Good-bye.     I  give  you  joy !  " 

"I  wish  I  could  give  it  to  you,"  said  Tackleton.  "As 
I  can't;  thank  'ee.  Between  ourselves  (as  I  told  you 
before,  eh?)  I  don't  much  think  I  shall  have  the  less  joy 
in  my  married  life,  because  May  hasn't  been  too  officious 
about  me,  and  too  demonstrative.  Good-bye!  Take 
care  of  yourself. " 

The  Carrier  stood  looking  after  him  until  he  was 
smaller  in  the  distance  than  his  horse's  flowers  and  favors 
near  at  hand ;  and  then,  with  a  deep  sigh,  went  strolling 
among  some  neighboring  elms ;  unwilling  to  return  until 
the  clock  was  on  the  eve  of  striking. 

His  little  wife,  being  left  alone,  sobbed  piteously 
but  often  dried  her  eyes  and  checked  herself,  to  say  how 
good  he  was,  how  excellent  he  was !  and  once  or  twice 
she  laughed ;  so  heartily,  triumphantly,  and  incoherently 
(still  crying  all  the  time),  that  Tilly  was  quite  horrified. 

"Ow  if  you  please  don't!  "   said  Tilly.     "It's  enoug 
to  dead  and  bury  the  Baby,  so  it  is,  if  you  please. " 

"Will  you  bring  him  sometimes,  to  see  his  fathe 
Tilly,"  inquired  her  mistress;  drying  her  eyes;  "when 
can't  live  here,  and  have  gone  to  my  old  home!  " 

"Ow  if  you  please  don't!  "  cried  Tilly,  throwing  back 
her  head,  and  bursting  out  into  a  howl ;  she  looked  at 
the  moment  uncommonly  like  Boxer ;  "  Ow  if  you  please 
don't!  Ow,  what  has  everybody  gone  and  been  and 
done  with  everybody,  making  everybody  else  so 
wretched!     Ow-w-w-w!" 


, 


THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH.  89 

The  soft-hearted  Slowboy  trailed  off  into  such  a  de- 
plorable howl  that  she  must  infallibly  have  awakened 
the  Baby,  if  her  eyes  had  not  encountered  Caleb  Plum- 
mer,  leading  in  his  daughter.  This  spectacle  restoring 
her  to  a  sense  of  the  proprieties,  she  stood  for  some  few 
moments  silent,  with  her  mouth  wide  open. 

"Mary !  "  said  Bertha.     "Not  at  the  marriage ! " 

"I  told  her  you  would  not  be  there,  Mum,"  whispered 
Caleb.  "I  heard  as  much  last  night.  But  bless  you," 
said  the  little  man,  taking  her  tenderly  by  both  hands, 
"J  don't  care  for  what  they  say ;  J  don't  believe  them. 
There  an't  much  of  me,  but  that  little  should  be  torn  to 
pieces  sooner  than  I'd  trust  a  word  against  you!  " 

He  put  his  arms  about  her  neck  and  hugged  her,  as  a 
child  might  have  hugged  one  of  his  own  dolls. 

"Bertha  couldn't  stay  at  home  this  morning, "  said 
Caleb.  "  She  was  afraid,  I  know,  to  hear  the  Bells  ring : 
and  couldn't  trust  herself  to  be  so  near  them  on  their 
wedding-day.  So  we  started  in  good  time,  and  came 
here.  I  have  been  thinking  of  what  I  have  done,"  said 
Caleb,  after  a  moment's  pause ;  "  I  hav©  been  blaming 
myself  till  I  hardly  knew  what  to  do  or  where  to  turn, 
for  the  distress  of  mind  I  have  caused  her;  and  I've 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  I'd  better,  if  you'll  stay  with 
me,  Mum,  the  while,  tell  her  the  truth.  You'll  stay 
with  me  the  while !  "  he  inquired,  trembling  from  head 
to  foot.  "I  don't  know  what  effect  it  may  have  upon 
her;  I  don't  know  what  she'll  think  of  me;  I  don't  know 
that  she'll  ever  care  for  her  poor  father  afterward.     But 


90  THE  CRICKET  ON  THE  HEARTH. 

it's  best  for  her  that  she  should  be  undeceived;  and  I 
must  bear  the  consequences  as  I  deserve ! " 

"Mary,"  said  Bertha,  "where  is  your  hand?  Ah! 
Here  it  is ;  here  it  is ! "  pressing  it  to  her  lips,  with  a 
smile,  and  drawing  it  through  her  arm.  "  I  heard  them 
speaking  softly  among  themselves,  last  night,  of  some 
blame  against  you.     They  were  wrong." 

The  Carrier's  Wife  was  silent.  Caleb  answered  for 
her. 

"They  were  wrong,"  he  said. 

"I  knew  it!"  cried  Bertha,  proudly.  "I  told  them 
so.  I  scorned  to  hear  a  word !  Blame  her  with  justice ! n 
she  pressed  the  hand  between  her  own,  and  the  soft 
cheek  against  her  face.  "No I  I  am  not  so  blind  as 
that." 

Her  father  went  on  one  side  of  her,  while  Dot  re- 
mained upon  the  other :  holding  her  hand. 

"I  know  you  all,"  said  Bertha,  "better  than  you 
think.  But  none  so  well  as  her.  Not  even  you,  father. 
There  is  nothing  half  so  real  and  so  true  about  me,  as 
she  is.  If  I  could  be  restored  to  sight  this  instant,  and 
not  a  word  were  spoken,  I  could  choose  her  from  a 
crowd !    My  Sister ! n 

"Bertha,  my  dear!"  said  Caleb,  "I  have  something 
on  my  mind  I  want  to  tell  you,  while  we  three  are  alone. 
Hear  me  kindly !  I  have  a  confession  to  make  to  you, 
my  Darling. " 

"A  confession,  father? " 

"I  have  wandered  from  the  Truth  and  lost  myself, 


THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH.  91 

% 

my  child,"  said  Caleb,  with  a  pitiable  expression  in 
his  bewildered  face.  "I  have  wandered  from  the 
Truth,  intending  to  be  kind  to  yon;  and  have  been 
cruel. " 

She  turned  her  wonder-stricken  face  toward  him,  and 
repeated  "  Cruel ! " 

"He  accuses  himself  too  strongly,  Bertha,"  said  Dot. 
"You'll  say  so,  presently.  You'll  be  the  first  to  tell 
him  so." 

"He  cruel  to  me! "  cried  Bertha,  with  a  smile  of  in- 
credulity. 

"£Tot  meaning  it,  my  child,"  said  Caleb.  "But  I  have 
been ;  though  I  never  suspected  it,  till  yesterday.  My 
dear  Blind  Daughter,  hear  me  and  forgive  me!  The 
world  you  live  in,  heart  of  mine,  doesn't  exist  as  I  have 
represented  it.  The  eyes  you  have  trusted  in,  have  been 
false  to  you." 

She  turned  her  wonder-stricken  face  toward  him  still ; 
but  drew  back,  and  clung  closer  to  her  friend. 

"Your  road  in  life  was  rough,  my  poor  one,"  said 
Caleb,  "and  I  meant  to  smoothe  it  for  you.  I  have 
altered  objects,  changed  the  characters  of  people,  in- 
vented many  things  that  never  have  been,  to  make  you 
happier.  I  have  had  concealments  from  you,  put  decep- 
tions on  you,  God  forgive  me !  and  surrounded  you  with 
fancies." 

"But  living  people  are  not  fancies?"  she  said,  hur- 
riedly, and  turning  very  pale,  and  still  retiring  from 
him.     "You  can't  change  them." 


92  THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH. 

* 

"I  have  done  so,  Bertha,"  pleaded  Caleb.  "There  is 
one  person  that  you  know,  my  Dove " 

"Oh,  father!  why  do  yon  say,  I  know?"  she  an- 
swered, in  a  tone  of  keen  reproach.  "  What  and  whom 
do  I  know?  I  who  have  no  leader!  I  so  miserably 
blind ! " 

In  the  anguish  of  her  heart,  she  stretched  out  her 
hands,  as  if  she  were  groping  her  way;  then  spread 
them,  in  a  manner  most  forlorn  and  sad,  upon  hei 
face. 

"The  marriage  that  takes  place  to-day,"  said  Caleb, 
"  is  with  a  stern,  sordid,  grinding  man.  A  hard  master 
to  you  and  me,  my  dear,  for  many  years.  Ugly  in  his 
looks,  and  in  his  nature.  Cold  and  callous  always. 
Unlike  what  I  have  painted  him  to  you  in  everything, 
my  child.     In  everything." 

"Oh,  why,"  cried  the  Blind  Girl,  tortured,  as  it 
seemed,  almost  beyond  endurance,  "why  did  you  ever 
do  this !  Why  did  you  ever  fill  my  heart  so  full,  and 
then  come  in  like  Death,  and  tear  away  the  objects  of 
my  love !  Oh,  Heaven,  how  blind  I  am !  How  helpless 
and  alone ! " 

Her  afflicted  father  hung  his  head,  and  offered  no 
reply  but  in  his  penitence  and  sorrow. 

She  had  been  but  a  short  time  in  this  passion  of  re- 
gret, when  the  Cricket  on  the  Hearth,  unheard  by  all 
but  her,  began  to  chirp.  Not  merrily,  but  in  a  low, 
faint,  sorrowing  way.  It  was  so  mournful,  that  her 
tears  began  to  flow ;   and  when  the  Presence  which  had 


THE   CRICKET  ON  THE  HEARTH.  93 

been  beside  the  Carrier  all  night,  appeared  behind  her, 
pointing  to  her  father,  they  fell  down  like  rain. 

She  heard  the  Cricket- voice  more  plainly  soon ;  and 
was  conscious,  through  her  blindness,  of  the  Presence 
hovering  about  her  father. 

"Mary,"  said  the  Blind  Girl,  "tell  me  what  my  Home 
is.     What  it  truly  is. " 

"  It  is  a  poor  place,  Bertha ;  very  poor  and  bare  in- 
deed. The  house  will  scarcely  keep  out  wind  and  rain 
another  winter.  It  is  as  roughly  shielded  from  the 
weather,  Bertha,"  Dot  continued  in  a  low,  clear  voice, 
"as  your  poor  father  in  his  sackcloth  coat." 

The  Blind  Girl,  greatly  agitated,  rose,  and  led  the 
Carrier's  little  wife  aside. 

"Those  presents  that  I  took  such  care  of,  that  came 
almost  at  my  wish,  and  were  so  dearly  welcome  to  me, " 
she  said,  trembling ;  "  where  did  they  come  from  f  Did 
you  send  them  f " 

"No." 

"  Who,  then  1  * 

Dot  saw  she  knew,  already;  and  was  silent.  The 
Blind  Girl  spread  her  hands  before  her  face  again.  But 
in  quite  another  manner  now. 

"Dear  Mary,  a  moment.     One  moment!     More  this 
way.      Speak  softly  to  me.      You  are  true,    I  know 
You'd  not  deceive  me  now;  would  you? " 

"No,  Bertha,  indeed!" 

"No,  I  am  sure  you  would  not.  You  have  too  much 
pity  for  me.     Mary,  look  across  the  room  to  where  we 


9-t  THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH. 

\rere  just  now;  to  where  my  father  is — my  father,  so 
compassionate  and  loving  to  me—and  tell  me  what  you 
see." 

"I  see,"  said  Dot,  who  understood  her  well;  "an  old 
man  sitting  in  a  chair,  and  leaning  sorrowfully  on  the 
back,  with  his  face  resting  on  his  hand.  As  if  his  child 
should  comfort  him,  Bertha." 

"Yes,  yes.     She  will.     Go  on." 

"  He  is  an  old  man,  worn  with  care  and  work.  He  is 
a  spare,  dejected,  thoughtful,  gray-haired  man.  I  see 
him  now,  despondent  and  bowed  down,  and  striving 
against  nothing.  But  Bertha,  I  have  seen  him  many 
times  before ;  and  striving  hard  in  many  ways  for  one 
great  sacred  object.  And  I  honor  his  gray  head,  and 
bless  him ! " 

The  Blind  Girl  broke  away  from  her ;  and  throwing 
herself  upon  her  knees  before  him,  took  the  gray  head 
to  her  breast. 

"It  is  my  sight  restored.  It  is  my  sight! "  she  cried. 
u  I  have  been  blind,  and  now  my  eyes  are  open.  I  never 
knew  him !  To  think  I  might  have  died,  and  never 
truly  seen  the  father  who  has  been  so  loving  to  me ! " 

There  were  no  words  for  Caleb's  emotion. 

"There  is  not  a  gallant  figure  on  this  earth,"  ex- 
claimed the  Blind  Girl,  holding  him  in  her  embrace, 
"that  I  would  love  so  dearly,  and  would  cherish  so  de- 
votedly, as  this!  The  grayer,  and  more  worn,  the 
dearer,  father !  Never  let  them  say  I  am  blind  again. 
There's  not  a  furrow  in  his  face,  there's  not  a  hair  upon 


THE   CRICKET  OK  THE  HEARTH.  95 

his  head,  that  shall  be  forgotten  in  my  prayers  and 
thanks  to  Heaven ! " 

Caleb  managed  to  articulate  "My  Bertha!" 
"And  in  my  Blindness,  I  believed  him,"  said  the  girl, 
caressing  him  with  tears  of  exquisite  affection,  "to  be  so 
different !    And  having  him  beside  me,  day  by  day,  so 
mindful  of  me  always,  never  dreamed  of  this ! " 

"The  fresh,  smart  father  in  the  blue  coat,  Bertha," 
Baid  poor  Caleb.     "  He's  gone ! " 

"Nothing  is  gone,"  she  answered.  "Dearest  father, 
no!  Everything  is  here — in  you.  The  father  that  I 
loved  so  well ;  the  father  that  I  never  loved  enough,  and 
never  knew ;  the  Benefactor  whom  I  first  began  to  rever- 
ence and  love,  because  he  had  such  sympathy  for  me. 
All  are  here  in  you.  Nothing  is  dead  to  me.  The  Soul 
nC  all  that  was  most  dear  to  me  is  here — here,  with  the 
worn  face,  and  the  gray  head.  And  I  am  not  blind, 
father,  any  longer ! " 

Dot's  whole  attention  had  been  concentrated,  during 
dl\is  discourse,  upon  the  father  and  daughter ;  but  look- 
ing, now,  toward  the  little  Haymaker  in  the  Moorish 
meadow,  she  saw  that  the  clock  was  within  a  few  min- 
utes of  striking;  and  fell,  immediately,  into  a  nervous 
and  excited  state. 

"Father,"  said  Bertha,  hesitating.     "Mary." 
"Yes,  my  dear,"  returned  Caleb.     "Here  she  is." 
"  There  is  no  change  in  her.     You  never  told  me  any- 
thing of  her  that  was  not  true  f  " 

"I  should  have  done  it,  my  dear,  I  am  afraid, "re- 


96  THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH. 

turned  Caleb,  "  if  I  could  have  made  her  better  than  she 
was.  But  I  must  have  changed  her  for  the  worse,  if  I 
changed  her  at  all.     ^Nothing  could  improve  her,  Bertha. " 

Confident  as  the  Blind  Girl  had  been  when  she  asked 
the  question,  her  delight  and  pride  in  the  reply,  and  her 
renewed  embrace  of  Dot,  were  charming  to  behold. 

"More  changes  than  you  think  for  may  happen, 
though,  my  dear,"  said  Dot.  "Changes  for  the  better, 
I  mean;  changes  for  great  joy  to  some  of  us.  You 
mustn't  let  them  startle  you  too  much,  if  any  such  should 
ever  happen,  and  affect  you!  Are  those  wheels  upon 
the  road?  You've  a  quick  ear,  Bertha.  Are  they 
wheels?" 

"Yes.     Coming  very  fast." 

"I — I — I  know  you  have  a  quick  ear,"  said  Dot,  plac- 
ing her  hand  upon  her  heart,  and  evidently  talking  on, 
as  fast  as  she  could,  to  hide  its  palpitating  state,  "be- 
cause I  have  noticed  it  often,  and  because  you  were  so 
quick  to  find  out  that  strange  step  last  night.  Though 
why  you  should  have  said,  as  I  very  well  recollect  you 
did  say,  Bertha,  'whose  step  is  that!'  and  why  you 
should  have  taken  any  greater  observation  of  it  than  of 
any  other  step,  I  don't  know.  Though,  as  I  said  just 
now,  there  are  great  changes  in  the  world:  great 
changes:  and  we  can't  do  better  than  prepare  ourselves 
to  be  surprised  at  hardly  anything. " 

Caleb  wondered  what  this  meant ;  perceiving  she  spoke 
to  him,  no  less  than  to  his  daughter.     He  saw  her,  with 

astonishment,  so  fluttered  and  distressed  that  she  could 

7 


THE   CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH.  97 

scarcely  breathe ;  and  holding  to  a  chair,  to  save  herself 
from  falling. 

"They  are  wheels  indeed!"  she  panted,  "coming 
nearer !  Nearer !  Very  close !  And  now  you  hear  them 
stopping  at  the  garden  gate !  And  now  you  hear  a  step 
outside  the  door — the  same  step,  Bertha,  is  it  not ! — and 
now ! " 

She  uttered  a  wild  cry  of  uncontrollable  delight ;  and 
running  up  to  Caleb  put  her  hands  upon  his  eyes,  as  a 
young  man  rushed  into  the  room,  and  flinging  away  his 
hat  into  the  air,  came  sweeping  down  upon  them. 

"Is  it  over?  "  cried  Dot. 

"Yes!" 

"Happily  over?" 

"Yes!" 

"Do  you  recollect  the  voice,  dear  Caleb?  Did  you 
ever  hear  the  like  of  it  before ! "  cried  Dot. 

"If  my  boy  in  the  Golden  South  Americas  was 
alive "  said  Caleb,  trembling. 

"He  is  alive!"  shrieked  Dot,  removing  her  hands 
from  his  eyes,  and  clapping  them  in  ecstasy ;  "  look  at 
him!  See  where  he  stands  before  you,  healthy  and 
strong!  Your  own  dear  son!  Your  own  dear  living, 
loving  brother,  Bertha !  " 

All  honor  to  the  little  creature  for  her  transports! 
All  honor  to  her  tears  and  laughter,  when  the  three  were 
locked  in  one  another's  arms!  All  honor  to  the  hearti- 
ness with  which  she  met  the  sunburnt  Sailor-fellow,  with 
his  dark  streaming  hair,  half  way,  and  never  turned  her 


9S  THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH. 

rosy  little  mouth  aside,    but  suffered  him  to  kiss  it, 
freely,  and  to  press  her  to  his  bounding  heart! 

And  honor  to  the  Cuckoo,  too — why  not ! — for  burst- 
ing out  of  the  trap -door  in  the  Moorish  Palace  like  a 
housebreaker,  and  hiccoughing  twelve  times  on  the  as- 
sembled company,  as  if  he  had  got  drunk  for  joy! 

The    Carrier,    entering,    started   back;    and  well  he 

- 

might :  to  find  himself  in  such  good  company. 

"Look,  John!"  said  Caleb,  exultingly,  "look  here! 
My  own  boy  from  the  Golden  South  Americas!  My 
own  son !  Him  that  you  fitted  out,  and  sent  away  your- 
self ;  him  that  you  were  always  such  a  friend  to ! " 

The  Carrier  advanced  to  seize  him  by  the  hand ;  but 
recoiling,  as  some  feature  in  his  face  awakened  a  remem- 
brance of  the  Deaf  Man  in  the  Cart,  said : 

"  Edward !    Was  it  you  f "  | 

"Now  tell  him  all!"   cried  Dot.     "Tell  him  all,  Ed- 
ward; and  don't  spare  me,  for  nothing  shall  make  me' 
spare  myself  in  his  eyes,  ever  again." 

"I  was  the  man,"  said  Edward. 

"And  could  you  steal,  disguised,  into  the  house  of 
your  old  friend?"  rejoined  the  Carrier.  "There  was  a 
frank  boy  once — how  many  years  is  it,  Caleb,  since  we 
heard  that  he  was  dead,  and  had  it  proved,  we  thought? 
— who  never  would  have  done  that. " 

"There  was  a  generous  friend  of  mine,  once;  more  a 
father  to  me  than  a  friend, "  said  Edward,  "  who  never 
would  have  judged  me,  or  any  other  man,  unheard. 
You  were  he.     So  I  am  certain  you  will  hear  me  now." 


THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH.  99 

The  Carrier,  with  a  troubled  glance  at  Dot,  who  still 
kept  far  away  from  him,  replied,  "Well !  that's  but  fair. 
I  will." 

"You  must  know  that  when  I  left  here,  a  boy,"  said 
Edward,  "I  was  in  love;  and  my  love  was  returned. 
She  was  a  very  young  girl,  who  perhaps  (you  may  tell 
me)  didn't  know  her  own  mind.  But  I  knew  mine;  and 
I  had  a  passion  for  her." 

"  You  had ! "  exclaimed  the  Carrier.     "  You  I n 

"Indeed  I  had,"  returned  the  other.  "And  she  re- 
turned it.  I  have  ever  since  believed  she  did;  and  now 
I  am  sure  she  did." 

"Heaven  help  me ! "  said  the  Carrier.  "This  is  worse 
than  all."  "Constant  to  her,"  said  Edward,  "and  re- 
turning, full  of  hope,  after  many  hardships  and  perils, 
to  redeem  my  part  of  our  old  contract,  I  heard,  twenty 
miles  away,  that  she  was  false  to  me ;  that  she  had  for- 
gotten me ;  and  had  bestowed  herself  upon  another  and 
a  richer  man.  I  had  no  mind  to  reproach  her ;  but  I 
wished  to  see  her,  and  to  prove  beyond  dispute  that  this 
was  true.  I  hoped  she  might  have  been  forced  into  it, 
against  her  own  desire  and  recollection.  It  would  be 
small  comfort,  but  it  would  be  some,  I  thought :  and  on 
I  came.  That  I  might  have  the  truth,  the  real  truth,  I 
dressed  myself  unlike  myself — you  know  how;  and 
waited  on  the  road — you  know  where.  You  had  no 
suspicion  of  me;  neither  had — had  she,"  pointing  to 
Dot,  "until  I  whispered  in  her  ear  at  that  fireside,  and 
she  so  nearly  betrayed  me." 


100 


THE    CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH. 


"But  when  she  knew  that  Edward  was  alive,  and  had 
come  back,"  sobbed  Dot,  now  speaking  for  herself,  as 
she  had  burned  to  do,  all  through  this  narrative;  "and 
when  she  knew  his  purpose,  she  advised  him  by  all 
means  to  keep  his  secret  close ;  for  his  old  friend  John 
Peerybingle  was  too 
open  in  his  nature, 
and  too  clumsy  in  all 
artifice  —  being  a 
clumsy  man  in  gen- 
eral," said  Dot,  half 
laughing  and  half  cry- 
ing— "to  keep  it  for 
him.  And  when  she 
— that's  me,  John," 
sobbed  the  little  wo- 
man— "  told  him  all, 
and  how  his  sweetheart 
had  believed  him  to  be 
dead;  and  how  she  had  at  last  been  over-persuaded 
by  her  mother  into  a  marriage  which  the  silly  dear 
old  thing  called  advantageous;  and  when  she — that's 
me  again,  John — told  him  they  were  not  yet  mar- 
ried (though  close  upon  it),  and  that  it  would  be 
nothing  but  a  sacrifice  if  it  went  on,  for  there  was  no 
lo^e  on  her  side ;  aud  when  he  went  nearly  mad  with  joy 
to  hear  it ;  then  she — that's  me  again — said  she  would  go 
between  them,  as  she  had  often  done  before  in  old  times, 
John,  and  would  sound  his  sweetheart  and  be  sure  that 


THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH.  101 

what  she — me  again,  John — said  and  thought  was  right. 
And  it  was  right,  John.  And  they  were  brought  to- 
gether, John!  And  they  were  married,  John,  an  hour 
ago!  And  here's  the  Bride!  And  Gruff  and  Tackleton 
may  die  a  bachelor!  And  I'm  a  happy  little  woman, 
May,  God  bless  you ! " 

She  was  an  irresistible  little  woman,  if  that  be  any- 
thing to  the  purpose ;  and  never  so  completely  irresisti- 
ble as  in  her  present  transports.  There  never  were  con- 
gratulations so  endearing  and  delicious,  as  those  she 
lavished  on  herself  and  on  the  Bride. 

Amid  the  tumult  of  emotions  in  his  breast  the  honest 
Carrier  had  stood,  confounded.  Flying,  now,  toward 
her,  Dot  stretched  out  her  hand  to  stop  him,  and  re- 
treated as  before. 

"No,  John,  no!  Hear  all!  Don't  love  me  any  more, 
John,  till  you've  heard  every  word  I  have  to  say.  It 
was  wrong  to  have  a  secret  from  you,  John.  I'm  very 
sorry.  I  didn't  think  it  any  harm,  till  I  came  and  sat 
down  by  you  on  the  little  stool  last  night ;  but  when  I 
knew  by  what  was  written  in  your  face,  that  you  had 
seen  me  walking  in  the  gallery  with  Edward :  and  knew 
what  you  thought;  I  felt  how  giddy  and  how  wrong  it 
was.  But  oh,  dear  John,  how  could  you,  could  you, 
think  so ! " 

Little  woman,  how  she  sobbed  again!     John  Peery 
bingle  would  have  caught  her  in  his  arms.     But  no ;  she 
wouldn't  let  him. 

"Don't  love  me  yet,  please,  John  I    Not  for  a  long 


102  THE   CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH. 

time  yet!  When  I  was  sad  about  this  intended  mar- 
riage, dear,  it  was  because  I  remembered  May  and  Ed- 
ward such  young  lovers,  and  knew  that  her  heart  was 
far  away  from  Tackleton.  You  believe  that,  now. 
Don't  you,  John?" 

John  was  going  to  make  another  rush  at  this  appeal ; 
but  she  stopped  him  again. 

"No;  keep  there,  please,  John!  When  I  laugh  at 
you,  as  I  sometimes  do,  John ;  and  call  you  clumsy,  and 
a  dear  old  goose,  and  names  of  that  sort,  it's  because  I 
love  you,  John,  so  well ;  and  take  such  pleasure  in  your 
ways;  and  wouldn't  see  you  altered  in  the  least  respect 
to  have  you  made  a  King  to-morrow." 

"Hooroar!"  said  Caleb,  with  unusual  vigor.  "My 
opinion ! " 

"And  when  I  speak  of  people  being  middle-aged  and 
steady,  John,  and  pretend  that  we  are  a  humdrum 
couple,  going  on  in  a  jogtrot  sort  of  way,  it's  only  be- 
cause I'm  such  a  silly  little  thing,  John,  that  I  like, 
sometimes,  to  act  a  kind  of  Play  with  Baby,  and  all  that: 
and  make  believe. " 

She  saw  that  he  was  coming ;  and  stopped  him  again. 
But  she  was  very  nearly  too  late. 

"No,  don't  love  me  for  another  minute  or  two,  if  you 
please,  John!  What  I  want  most  to  tell  you,  I  have 
kept  to  the  last.  My  dear,  good,  generous  John ;  when 
we  were  talking  the  other  night  about  the  Cricket,  I  had 
it  on  my  lips  to  say,  that  at  first  I  did  not  love  you  quite 
so  dearly  as  I  do  now ;  that  when  I  first  came  home  here, 


THE  CRICKET  ON  THE  HEARTH.  103 


I  was  half  afraid  I  mightn't  learn  to  love  you  every  bit 
as  well  as  I  hoped  and  prayed  I  might — being  so  very 
young,  John.  But,  dear  John,  every  day  and  hour,  I 
loved  you  more  and  more.  And  if  I  could  have  loved 
you  better  than  I  do,  the  noble  words  I  heard  you  say 
this  morning  would  have  made  me.  But  I  can't.  All 
the  affection  that  I  had  (it  was  a  great  deal,  John)  I 
gave  you,  as  you  well  deserve,  long,  long  ago,  and  I 
have  no  more  left  to  give.  Now,  my  dear  Husband, 
take  me  to  your  heart  again  1  That's  my  home,  John; 
and  never,  never  think  of  sending  me  to  any  other  1  * 

You  may  be  sure  the  Carrier  was  in  a  state  of  perfect 
rapture;  and  you  may  be  sure  Dot  was  likewise:  and 
you  may  be  sure  they  all  were,  inclusive  of  Miss  Slow- 
boy. 

But  now  the  sound  of  wheels  was  heard  again  outside 
the  door ;  and  somebody  exclaimed  that  Gruff  and  Tack- 
leton  was  coming  back.  Speedily  that  worthy  gentleman 
appeared ;  looking  warm  and  flustered. 

"Why,  what  the  Devil's  this,  John  Peery bingle ! " 
said  Tackleton.  "There's  some  mistake.  I  appointed 
Mrs.  Tackleton  to  meet  me  at  the  church ;  and  I'll  swear 
I  passed  her  on  the  road,  on  her  way  here.  Oh !  here 
she  is!  I  beg  your  pardon,  Sir;  I  haven't  the  pleasure 
of  knowing  you ;  but  if  you  can  do  me  the  favor  to  spare 
this  young  lady,  she  has  rather  a  particular  engagement 
this  morning. " 

"But  I  can't  spare  her,"  returned  Edward.  "I 
couldn't  think  of  it. " 


104  THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH. 

"  What  do  you  mean,  you  vagabond !  "  said  Tackleton. 

"  I  mean,  that  as  I  can  make  allowance  for  your  being 
vexed, "  returned  the  other,  with  a  smile,  "  I  am  as  deaf 
to  harsh  discourse  this  morning,  as  I  was  to  all  discourse 
last  night.  I  am  sorry,  Sir,"  said  Edward,  holding  out 
May's  left  hand,  and  especially  the  third  finger,  "that 
the  young  lady  can't  accompany  you  to  church;  but  as 
she  has  been  there  once,  this  morning,  perhaps  you'll 
excuse  her." 

Tackleton  looked  hard  at  the  third  finger ;  and  took  a 
little  piece  of  silver  paper,  apparently  containing  a  ring, 
from  his  waistcoat  pocket. 

"Miss  Slowboy,"  said  Tackleton.  "Will  you  have 
the  kindness  to  throw  that  in  the  fire?     Thank 'ee." 

"It  was  a  previous  engagement:  quite  an  old  engage- 
ment ;  that  prevented  my  wife  from  keeping  her  appoint- 
ment with  you,  I  assure  you, "  said  Edward. 

"Mr.  Tackleton  will  do  me  the  justice  to  acknowledge 
that  I  revealed  it  to  him  faithfully ;  and  that  I  told  him, 
many  times,  I  never  could  forget  it, n  said  May,  blush- 
ing. 

"Oh,  certainly!"  said  Tackleton.  "Oh,  to  be  sure. 
Oh,  it's  all  right.  It's  quite  correct.  Mrs.  Edward 
Plummer,  I  infer !  " 

"That's  the  name,"  returned  the  bridegroom. 

"Ah!  I  shouldn't  have  known  you,  Sir,"  said  Tack- 
leton :  scrutinizing  his  face  narrowly,  and  making  a  low 
bow.     "I  give  you  joy,  Sir!" 

"Thank'ee." 


THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH.  105 

"Mrs.  Peerybingle,"  said  Tackleton,  turning  suddenly 
to  where  she  stood  with  her  husband:  "I  am  sorry. 
You  haven't  done  me  a  very  great  kindness,  but  upon 
my  life  I  am  sorry.  You  are  better  than  I  thought  you. 
John  Peerybingle,  I  am  sorry.  You  understand  me; 
that's  enough.  It's  quite  correct,  ladies  and  gentlemen 
all,  and  perfectly  satisfactory.     Good  morning !  " 

With  these  words  he  carried  it  off,  and  carried  himself 
off  too :  merely  stopping  at  the  door,  to  take  the  flowers 
and  favors  from  his  horse's  head,  and  to  kick  that  ani- 
mal once  in  the  ribs,  as  a  means  of  informing  him  that 
there  was  a  screw  loose  in  his  arrangements. 

Of  course  it  became  a  serious  duty  now,  to  make  such 
a  day  of  it,  as  should  mark  these  events  for  a  high  Feast 
and  Festival  in  the  Peerybingle  Calendar  for  evermore. 
Accordingly,  Dot  went  to  work  to  produce  such  an  en- 
tertainment, as  should  reflect  uudying  honor  on  the 
house  and  every  one  concerned;  and  in  a  very  short 
space  of  time  she  was  up  to  her  dimpled  elbows  in  flour, 
and  whitening  the  Carrier's  coat,  every  time  he  came 
near  her,  by  stopping  him  to  give  him  a  kiss.  That 
good  fellow  washed  the  greens,  and  peeled  the  turnips, 
and  broke  the  plates,  and  upset  iron  pots  full  of  cold 
water  on  the  fire,  and  made  himself  useful  in  all  sorts  of 
ways :  while  a  couple  of  professional  assistants,  hastily 
called  in  from  somewhere  in  the  neighborhood,  as  on  a 
point  of  life  or  death,  ran  against  each  other  in  all  the 
doorways  and  round  all  the  corners;  and  everybody 
tumbled  over  Tilly  Slowboy  and  the  Baby,  everywhere. 


106  THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH. 

Then,  there  was  a  great  Expedition  set  on  foot  to  go 
and  find  ont  Mrs.  Fielding ;  and  to  be  dismally  penitent 
to  that  excellent  gentlewoman ;  and  to  bring  her  back, 
by  force  if  needful,  to  be  happy  and  forgiving.  And 
when  the  Expedition  first  discovered  her,  she  would 
listen  to  no  terms  at  all,  bat  said,  an  unspeakable  num- 
ber of  times,  that  ever  she  should  have  lived  to  see  the 
day!  and  couldn't  be  got  to  say  anything  else,  except 
"Now  carry  me  to  the  grave  " ;  which  seemed  absurd,  on 
account  of  her  not  being  dead,  or  anything  at  all  like  it. 
After  a  time,  she  lapsed  into  a  state  of  dreadful  calm- 
ness. From  this  mood,  she  passed  into  an  angry  one, 
and  after  that,  she  yielded  to  a  soft  regret,  and  said,  if 
they  had  only  given  her  their  confidence,  what  might  she 
not  have  had  it  in  her  power  to  suggest !  Taking  advan- 
tage of  this  crisis  in  her  feelings,  the  Expedition  em- 
braced her ;  and  she  very  soon  had  her  gloves  on,  and 
was  on  her  way  to  John  Peerybingle's  in  a  state  of  un- 
impeachable gentility ;  with  a  paper  parcel  at  her  side 
containing  a  cap  of  state,  almost  as  tall,  and  quite  as 
stiff,  as  a  Mitre. 

Then,  there  were  Dot's  father  and  mother  to  come,  in 
another  little  chaise ;  and  they  were  behind  their  time ; 
and  there  was  much  looking  out  for  them  down  the  road. 
At  last  they  came,  a  chubby  little  couple,  jogging  along 
in  a  snug  and  comfortable  little  way  that  quite  belonged 
to  the  Dot  family;  and  Dot  and  her  mother,  side  by 
side,  were  wonderful  to  see.  They  were  so  like  each 
other. 


THE  CRICKET  ON  THE  HEARTH.  107 

I  wouldn't  have  missed  Dot  doing  the  honors  in  her 
wedding-gown  for  any  money.  No !  nor  the  good  Car- 
rier, so  jovial  and  so  ruddy,  at  the  bottom  of  the  table. 
Nor  the  brown,  fresh  sailor-fellow,  and  his  handsome 
wife.  Nor  any  one  among  them.  To  have  missed  the 
dinner  would  have  been  to  miss  as  jolly  a  meal  as  man 
need  eat ;  and  to  have  missed  the  overflowing  cups  in 
which  they  drank  The  Wedding  Day,  would  have  been 
the  greatest  miss  of  all. 

After  dinner,  Caleb  sang  the  song  about  the  Sparkling 
Bowl!  And,  by -the -by,  a  most  unlooked-for  incident 
occurred,  just  as  he  finished  the  last  verse. 

There  was  a  tap  at  the  door ;  and  a  man  came  stag- 
gering in,  without  saying  by  your  leave,  with  something 
heavy  on  his  head.  Setting  this  down  in  the  middle  of  the 
table,  symmetrically  in  the  centre  of  the  nuts  and  apples, 
he  said,  "Mr.  Tackleton's  compliments,  and  as  he  hasn't 
got  no  use  for  the  cake  himself,  p'raps  you'll  eat  it." 

And  with  those  words,  he  walked  off. 

There  was  some  surprise  among  the  company,  as  you 
may  imagine ;  but  the  cake  was  cut  by  May,  with  much 
ceremony  and  rejoicing. 

I  don't  think  any  one  had  tasted  it,  when  there  came 
another  tap  at  the  door ;  and  the  same  man  appeared 
again,  having  under  his  arm  a  vast  brown  paper  parcel. 

"Mr.  Tackleton's  compliments,  and  he's  sent  a  few 
toys  for  the  Babby.     They  ain't  ugly." 

After  the  delivery  of  which  expressions,  he  retired 
again. 


108 


THE   CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH. 


The  whole 
party  would  have 
experienced  great 
difficulty  in  find- 
ing words  for 
their  astonish- 
ment, even  if 
they  had  had  am- 
ple time  to  seek 
them.  But  they 
had  none  at  all; 
for  the  messenger 
had  scarcely  shut 
the  door  behind 
him,  when  there 
came  another 
tap,  and  Tackle- 
ton  himself 
walked  in. 

"  Mrs.  Peery- 
bingle !  "  said  the 
Toy  Merchant, 
hat  in  hand.  "I'm 
sorry.  I'm  more 
sorry  than  I  was 
this  morning.  I 
have  had  time  to  think  of  it.  John  Peerybingle! 
I'm  sour  by  disposition ;  but  I  can't  help  being  sweet- 
ened, more  or  less,  by  coming  face  to  face  with  such 


THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH.  109 

a  man  as  you.  Caleb !  This-  unconscious  little  nurse 
gave  me  a  broken  hint  last  night,  of  which  I  have 
found  the  thread.  I  blush  to  think  how  easily  I  might 
have  bound  you  and  your  daughter  to  me;  and  what 
a  miserable  idiot  I  was,  when  I  took  her  for  one! 
Friends,  one  and  all,  my  house  is  very  lonely  to-night. 
I  have  not  so  much  as  a  Cricket  on  my  Hearth.  I  have 
scared  them  ali  away.     Let  me  join  this  happy  party !  " 

He  was  at  home  in  five  minutes.  You  never  saw  such 
a  fellow.  What  had  he  been  doing  with  himself  all  his 
life,  never  to  have  known,  before,  his  great  capacity  of 
being  jovial !  Or  what  had  the  Fairies  been  doing  with 
him,  to  have  effected  such  a  change ! 

"John!  you  won't  send  me  home  this  evening;  will 
you  !  "  whispered  Dot. 

There  wanted  but  one  living  creature  to  make  the 
party  complete ;  and,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  there 
he  was :  very  thirsty  with  hard  running,  and  engaged  in 
hopeless  endeavors  to  squeeze  his  head  into  a  narrow 
pitcher.  He  had  gone  with  the  cart  to  its  journey 's- 
end,  very  much  disgusted  with  the  absence  of  his  master, 
and  stupendously  rebellious  to  the  Deputy.  After  lin- 
gering about  the  stable  for  some  little  time,  vainly  at- 
tempting to  incite  the  old  horse  to  the  mutinous  act  of 
returning  on  his  own  account,  he  had  walked  into  the 
tap -room  and  laid  himself  down  before  the  fire.  But 
suddenly  yielding  to  the  conviction  that  the  Deputy 
was  a  humbug,  and  must  be  abandoned,  he  had  got  up 
again,  turned  tail  and  came  home. 


110 


THE   CRICKET   ON   THE   HEARTH. 


There  was  a  dance  in  the  evening.  With  which 
general  mention  of  that  recreation,  I  should  have 
left  it  alone,  if  I  had  not  some  reason  to  suppose 
that  it  was  quite  an  original  dance,  and  one  of  a  most 


\ 


I 


/  / 


TpmiiuuniHilllHI 


L""iiii|IUHIUIUIIlllllllUlllllUllillU>ailllllll 


THE   CRICKET  ON  THE  HEARTH.  Ill 

uncommon  figure.  It  was  formed  in  an  odd  way;  in 
this  way. 

Edward,  that  sailor-fellow — a  good  free  dashing  sort 
of  a  fellow  he  was — had  been  telling  them  various  mar- 
vels concerning  parrots,  and  mines,  and  Mexicans,  and 
gold  dust,  when  all  at  once  he  took  into  his  head  to 
jump  up  from  his  seat  and  propose  a  dance ;  for  Bertha's 
harp  was  there,  and  she  had  such  a  hand  upon  it  as  you 
seldom  hear.  Dot  (sly  little  piece  of  affectation  when 
she  chose)  said  her  dancing  days  were  over;  I  think  be- 
cause the  Carrier  was  smoking  his  pipe,  and  she  liked 
sitting  by  him,  best.  Mrs.  Fielding  had  no  choice,  of 
course,  but  to  say  her  dancing  days  were  over,  after  that ; 
and  everybody  said  the  same,  except  May;  May  was 
ready. 

So,  May  and  Edward  get  up,  amid  great  applause,  to 
dance  alone ;  and  Bertha  plays  her  liveliest  tune. 

Well!  if  you'll  believe  me,  they  have  not  been 
dancing  five  minutes,  when  suddenly  the  Carrier 
flings  his  pipe  away,  takes  Dot  round  the  waist, 
dashes  out  into  the  room,  and  starts  off  with  her, 
toe  and  heel,  quite  wonderfully.  Tackleton  no  sooner 
sees  this,  than  he  skims  across  to  Mrs.  Fielding,  takes 
her  round  the  waist,  and  follows  suit.  Old  Dot  no 
sooner  sees  this,  than  up  he  is,  all  alive,  whisks  off 
Mrs.  Dot  into  the  middle  of  the  dance,  and  is  the 
foremost  there.  Caleb  no  sooner  sees  this,  than  he 
clutches  Tilly  Slowboy  by  both  hands  and  goes  off  at 
score. 


112  THE   CRICKET   ON  THE   HEARTH. 

Hark!  how  the  Cricket  joins  the  music  with  its  Chirp, 
Chirp,  Chirp ;  and  how  the  kettle  hums ! 

v'-<  *1*  vjv  v>  vU  »A»  vl* 

^y*  *y*  «X*  *T*  *T*  *T*  ^^ 

But  what  is  this !  Even  as  I  listen  to  them,  blithely, 
and  turn  toward  Dot,  for  one  last  glimpse  of  a  little 
figure  very  pleasant  to  me,  she  and  the  rest  have  van- 
ished into  air,  and  I  am  left  alone.  A  Cricket  sings 
upon  the  Hearth;  a  broken  child's  toy  lies  upon  the 
ground;  and  nothing  else  remains. 


CAPTAIN"  EICHAED   DOUBLEDICK. 

In  the  year  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  ninety* 
nine,  a  relative  of  mine  came  limping  down,  on  foot,  to 
this  town  of  Chatham.  I  call  it  this  town,  because  if 
anybody  present  knows  to  a  nicety  where  Eochester  ends 
and  Chatham  begins,  it  is  more  than  I  do.  He  was  a 
poor  traveller,  with  not  a  farthing  in  his  pocket.  He 
sat  by  the  fire  in  this  very  room,  and  he  slept  one  night 
in  a  bed  that  will  be  occupied  to-night  by  some  one 
here. 

My  relative  came  down  to  Chatham  to  enlist  in  a  cav- 
alry regiment,  if  a  cavalry  regiment  would  have  him ;  if 
not,  to  take  King  George's  shilling  from  any  corporal  or 
sergeant  who  would  put  a  bunch  of  ribbons  in  his  hat. 
His  object  was  to  get  shot;  but  he  thought  he  might  as 
well  ride  to  death  as  be  at  the  trouble  of  walking. 

My  relative's  Christian  name  was  Eichard,  but  he  was 
better  known  as  Dick.  He  dropped  his  own  surname 
on  the  road  down,  and  took  up  that  of  Doubledick. 
He  was  passed  as  Eichard  Doubledick ;  age,  twenty-two ; 
height,  five  foot  ten ;  native  place,  Exmouth,  which  he 
had  never  been  near  in  his  life.  There  was  no  cavalry 
in  Chatham  when  he  limped  over  the  bridge  here  with 
half  a  shoe  to  his  dusty  feet,  so  he  enlisted  into  a  regi 


114  CAPTAIN   RICHARD   DOUBLEDICK. 

ment  of  the  line,  and  was  glad  to  get  drunk  and  forget 
all  about  it. 

You  are  to  know  that  this  relative  of  mine  had  gone 
wrong,  and  run  wild.  He  had  been  betrothed  to  a  good 
and  beautiful  girl,  whom  he  had  loved  better  than  she — 
or  perhaps  even  he — believed;  but  in  an  evil  hour  he 
had  given  her  cause  to  say  to  him  solemnly,  "Eichard,  I 
will  never  marry  another  man.  I  will  live  single  for 
your  sake,  but  Mary  Marshall's  lips" — her  name  was 
Mary  Marshall — "  never  address  another  word  to  you  on 
earth.  Go,  Eichard !  Heaven  forgive  you ! n  This  fin- 
ished him.  This  brought  him  down  to  Chatham.  This 
made  him  Private  Eichard  Doubledick,  with  a  deter- 
mination to  be  shot. 

There  was  not  a  more  dissipated  and  reckless  soldier 
in  Chatham  barracks,  in  the  year  one  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  ninety-nine,  than  Private  Eichard  Double- 
dick. He  associated  with  the  dregs  of  every  regiment ; 
he  was  as  seldom  sober  as  he  could  be,  and  was  con- 
stantly under  punishment.  It  became  clear  to  the  whole 
barracks  that  Private  Eichard  Doubledick  would  very 
soon  be  flogged. 

Now  the  Captain  of  Eichard  Doubledick 's  company 
was  a  young  gentleman  not  above  five  years  his  senior, 
whose  eyes  had  an  expression  in  them  which  affected 
Private  Eichard  Doubledick  in  a  very  remarkable  way. 
They  were  bright,  handsome,  dark  eyes, — what  are 
called  laughing  eyes  generally,  and,  when  serious,  rather 
steady  than  severe, — but  they  were  the  only  eyes  now 


CAPTAIN  RICHARD  DOUBLEDICK.  115 

left  in  his  narrowed  world  that  Private  Bichard  Double- 
click could  not  stand.  Unabashed  by  evil  report  and 
punishment,  defiant  of  everything  else  and  everybody 
else,  he  had  but  to  know  that  those  eyes  looked  at  him 
for  a  moment,  and  he  felt  ashamed.  He  could  not  so 
much  as  salute  Captain  Taunton  in  the  street  like  any 
other  officer.  He  was  reproached  and  confused, — 
troubled  by  the  mere  possibility  of  the  captain's  looking 
at  him.  In  his  worst  moments,  he  would  rather  turn 
back,  and  go  any  distance  out  of  his  way,  than  encounter 
those  two  handsome,  dark,  bright  eyes. 

One  day,  when  Private  Eichard  Doubledick  came  out  of 
the  Black  hole,  where  he  had  been  passing  the  last  eight- 
and-forty  hours,  and  in  which  retreat  he  spent  a  good 
deal  of  his  time,  he  was  ordered  to  betake  himself  to 
Captain  Taunton's  quarters.  In  the  squalid  state  of  [a 
man  just  out  of  the  Black  hole,  he  had  less  fancy  than 
ever  for  being  seen  by  the  captain ;  but  he  was  not  so 
mad  yet  as  to  disobey  orders,  and  consequently  went  up 
to  the  terrace  overlooking  the  parade-ground,  where  the 
officers'  quarters  were;  twisting  and  breaking  in  his 
hands,  as  he  went  along,  a  bit  of  straw. 

"  Come  in !  "  cried  the  Captain,  when  he  knocked  with 
his  knuckles  at  the  door.  Private  Eichard  Doubledick 
pulled  off  his  cap,  took  a  stride  forward,  and  felt  very 
conscious  that  he  stood  in  the  light  of  the  dark,  bright 
eyes. 

There  was  a  silent  pause.  Private  Eichard  Double- 
dick had  put  the  straw  in  his  mouth,  and  was  grad- 


116  CAPTAIN   RICHARD   DOUBLEDICK. 

ually  doubling  it  up  into  his  windpipe  and  choking 
himself. 

"Doublediek,"  said  the  Captain,  "do  you  know  where 
you  are  going  to  !  " 

"To  the  Devil,  sir f "  faltered  Doublediek. 

"Yes,"  returned  the  Captain.     "And  very  fast." 

Private  Eichard  Doublediek  turned  the  straw  in  his 
mouth,  and  made  a  miserable  salute  of  acquiescence. 

"Doublediek,"  said  the  Captain,  "since  I  entered  his 
Majesty's  service,  a  boy  of  seventeen,  I  have  been  pained 
to  see  many  men  of  promise  going  that  road ;  but  I  have 
never  been  so  pained  to  see  a  man  determined  to  make 
the  shameful  journey  as  I  have  been,  ever  since  you 
joined  the  regiment,  to  see  you." 

Private  Eichard  Doublediek  began  to  find  a  film  steal- 
ing over  the  floor  at  which  he  looked ;  also  to  find  the 
legs  of  the  Captain's  breakfast-table  turning  crooked. 

"'I  am  only  a  common  soldier,  sir,"  said  he.  "It 
signifies  very  little  what  such  a  poor  brute  comes  to. " 

"You  are  a  man,"  returned  the  Captain,  with  grave 
indignation,  "  of  education  and  superior  advantages ;  and 
if  you  say  that,  meaning  what  you  say,  you  have  sunk 
lower  than  I  had  believed.  How  low  that  must  be,  I 
leave  you  to  consider,  knowing  that  I  know  of  your  dis- 
grace, and  seeing  what  I  see." 

"I  hope  to  get  shot  soon,  sir,"  said  Private  Eichard 
Doublediek;  "and  then  the  regiment  and  the  world  to- 
gether will  be  rid  of  me." 

The  legs  of  the  table  were  becoming  very  crooked. 


CAPTAIN   RICHARD   DOUBLEDICK. 


117 


Doubleclick,  looking  up  to  steady  his  vision,  met  the  eyes 
that  had  so  strong  an  influence  over  him.     He  put  his 
hand  before  his  own  eyes,  and  the  breast  of  his  disgrace- 
jacket  swelled   as  if 
it  would  fly  asunder. 

"I  would  rather," 
said  the  young  Cap- 
tain, "see  this  in  you, 
Doubledick,  than  I 
would  see  five  thou- 
sand guineas  counted 
out  upon  this  table 
for  a  gift  to  my  good 
mother.  Have  you  a 
mother?" 

"I  am  thankful  to 
say  she  is  dead,  sir." 

"If  your  praises," 
returned  the  Captain, 
"were  sounded  from 
mouth  to  mouth 
through     the    whole 

regiment,  through  the  whole  army,  through  the  whole 
country,  you  would  wish  she  had  lived  to  say,  with  pride 
and  joy,  'He  is  my  son ! >  " 

"Spare  me,  sir,"  said  Doubledick.  "She  would  never 
have  heard  any  good  of  me.  She  would  never  have  had 
any  pride  and  joy  in  owning  herself  my  mother.  Love 
and  compassion  she  might  have  had,  and  would  have 


118  CAPTAIN  RICHARD  DOUBLEDICK. 

always  had,  I  know ;  but  not — "  And  he  turned  his  face 
to  the  wall,  and  stretched  out  his  imploring  hand. 

"My  friend — "  began  the  Captain. 

"God  bless  you,  sir ! "  sobbed  Private  Richard  Double- 
dick. 

"You  are  at  the  crisis  of  your  fate.  Hold  your  course 
unchanged  a  little  longer,  and  you  know  what  must  hap- 
pen. I  know  even  better  than  you  can  imagine,  that, 
after  that  has  happened,  you  are  lost.  No  man  who  could 
shed  those  tears  could  bear  those  marks. " 

"I  fully  believe  it,  sir,"  in  a  low,  shivering  voice  said 
Private  Eichard  Doubledick. 

"But  a  man  in  any  station  can  do  his  duty,"  said  the 
young  Captain,  "and,  in  doing  it,  can  earn  his  own  re- 
spect, even  if  his  case  should  be  so  very  unfortunate  and 
so  very  rare  that  he  can  earn  no  other  man's.  A  com- 
mon soldier,  poor  brute  though  you  called  him  just  now, 
has  this  advantage  in  the  stormy  times  we  live  in,  that 
he  always  does  his  duty  before  a  host  of  sympathizing 
witnesses.  Do  you  doubt  that  he  may  so  do  it  as  to  be 
extolled  through  a  whole  regiment,  through  a  whole 
army,  through  a  whole  country?  Turn  while  you  may 
yet  retrieve  the  past,  and  try." 

"I  will!  I  ask  for  only  one  witness,  sir,"  cried  Rich- 
ard, with  a  bursting  heart. 

"I  understand  you.  I  will  be  a  watchful  and  a  faith- 
ful one." 

I  have  heard  from  Private  Richard  Doubledick's  own 
lips,  that  he  dropped  down  upon  his  knee,  kissed  that 


CAPTAIN  RICHARD   DOUBLEDICK.  119 


officer's  hand,  arose,  and  went  out  of  the  light  of  the 
dark,  bright  eyes,  an  altered  man. 

In  that  year,  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  ninety- 
nine,  the  French  were  in  Egypt,  in  Italy,  in  Germany, 
where  not?  Napoleon  Bonaparte  had  likewise  begun  to 
stir  against  us  in  India,  and  most  men  could  read  the 
signs  of  the  great  troubles  that  were  coming  on.  In  the 
very  next  year,  when  we  formed  an  alliance  with  Aus- 
tria against  him,  Captain  Taunton's  regiment  was  on 
service  in  India.  And  there  was  not  a  finer  non-com- 
missioned officer  in  it, — no,  nor  in  the  whole  line — than 
Corporal  Eichard  Doubledick. 

In  eighteen  hundred  and  one,  the  Indian  army  were  on 
the  coast  of  Egypt.  Next  year  was  the  year  of  the  proc- 
lamation of  the  short  peace,  and  they  were  recalled.  It 
had  then  become  well  known  to  thousands  of  men,  that 
wherever  Captain  Taunton,  with  the  dark,  bright  eyes, 
led,  there,  close  to  him,  firm  as  a  rock,  true  as  the  sun, 
and  brave  as  Mars,  would  be  that  famous  soldier,  Ser- 
geant Biehard  Doubledick. 

Eighteen  hundred  and  five,  besides  being  the  great 
year  of  Trafalgar,  was  a  year  of  hard  fighting  in  India. 
That  year  saw  such  wonders  done  by  a  Sergeant- 
Ma  j  or,  who  cut  his  way  single-handed  through  a  solid 
mass  of  men,  recovered  the  colors  of  his  regiment,  which 
had  been  seized  from  the  hand  of  a  poor  boy  shot  through 
the  heart,  and  rescued  his  wounded  Captain,  who  was 
down,  and  in  a  very  jungle  of  horses'  hoofs  and  sabers, 
— saw  such  wonders  done,  I  say,  by  this  brave  Sergeant* 


120 


CAPTAIN   RICHARD   DOUBLEDICK. 


Major,  that  he  was  specially  made  the  bearer  of  the 
colors  he  had  won ;  and  Ensign  Eichard  Doubledick  had 
risen  from  the  ranks. 

Sorely  cut  up  in  every  battle,  but  always  reinforced 
by  the  bravest  of  men, — for  the  fame  of  following  the 


old  colors,  shot  through  and  through,  which  Ensign 
Richard  Doubledick  had  saved,  inspired  all  breasts, — 
this  regiment  fought  its  way  through  the  Peninsular  war, 
up  to  the  investment  of  Badajos  in  eighteen  hundred  and 
twelve.     Again  and  again  it  had  been  cheered  through 


CAPTAIN  RICHARD  DOUBLEDICK.  121 

the  British  ranks  until  the  tears  had  sprung  into  men's 
eyes  at  the  mere  hearing  of  the  mighty  British  voice,  so 
exultant  in  their  valor;  and  there  was  not  a  drummer - 
boy  but  knew  that  wherever  the  two  friends,  Major 
Taunton,  with  the  dark,  bright  eyes,  and  Ensign  Eich- 
ard  Doubledick,  who  was  devoted  to  him,  were  seen  to 
go,  there  the  boldest  spirits  in  the  English  army  became 
wild  to  follow. 

One  day  at  Badajos — not  in  the  great  storming  but  in 
repelling  a  hot  sally  of  the  besieged  upon  our  men  at 
work  in  the  trenches,  who  had  given  way — the  two  offi- 
cers found  themselves  hurrying  forward  face  to  face 
against  a  party  of  French  infantry  who  made  a  stand. 
There  was  an  officer  at  their  head,  encouraging  his  men, 
— a  courageous  handsome  gallant  officer  of  five-and- 
thirty  whom  Doubledick  saw  hurriedly,  almost  momen- 
tarily but  saw  well.  He  particularly  noticed  this  officer 
waving  his  sword,  and  rallying  his  men  with  an  eager 
and  excited  cry,  when  they  fired  in  obedience  to  his  ges- 
ture and  Major  Taunton  dropped. 

It  was  over  in  ten  minutes  more,  and  Doubledick  re- 
turned to  the  spot  where  he  had  laid  the  best  friend  man 
ever  had  on  a  coat  spread  upon  the  wet  clay.  Major 
Taunton's  uniform  was  opened  at  the  breast,  and  on  his 
shirt  were  three  little  spots  of  blood. 

"Dear  Doubledick, "  said  he,  "lam  dying." 

"For  the  love  of  Heaven,  no! "  exclaimed  the  other, 
kneeling  down  beside  him  and  passing  his  arm  round 
his  neck  to  raise  his  head.     "Taunton!     My  preserver, 


122  CAPTAIN   RICHARD   DOTTBLEDICK. 

my  guardian  angel !  Truest,  kindest  of  human  beings  \ 
Taunton !     For  God's  sake !  " 

The  bright,  dark  eyes  smiled  upon  him ;  and  the  hand 
he  had  kissed  thirteen  years  ago  laid  itself  fondly  on  his 
breast. 

"Write  to  my  mother.  You  will  see  Home  again. 
Tell  her  how  we  became  friends.  It  will  comfort  her, 
as  it  comforts  me. " 

He  spoke  no  more,  but  faintly  signed  for  a  moment 
toward  his  hair  as  it  fluttered  in  the  wind.  The  Ensign 
understood  him.  He  smiled  again  when  he  saw  that, 
and,  gently  turning  his  face  over  on  the  supporting  arm 
as  if  for  rest,  died  with  his  hand  upon  the  breast  in 
which  he  had  revived  a  soul. 

No  dry  eye  looked  on  Ensign  Eichard  Doubledick  that 
melancholy  day.  He  buried  his  friend  on  the  field,  and 
became  a  lone,  bereaved  man.  Beyond  his  duty  he  ap- 
peared to  have  but  two  remaining  cares  in  life, — one  to 
preserve  the  little  packet  of  hair  he  was  to  give  to  Taun- 
ton's mother;  the  other,  to  encounter  that  French  officer 
who  had  rallied  the  men  under  whose  fire  Taunton  fell. 
A  new  legend  now  began  to  circulate  among  our  troops ; 
and  it  was,  that  when  he  and  the  French  officer  came 
face  to  face  once  more,  there  would  be  weeping  in 
France. 

The  war  went  on — and  through  it  went  the  exact  pict- 
ure of  the  French  officer  on  the  one  side,  and  the  bodily 
reality  upon  the  other — until  the  Battle  of  Toulouse  was 

fought.    In  the  returns  sent  home  appeared  these  words: 
10 


CAPTAIN   RICHARD   DOUBLEDICK.  123 

"Severely  wounded,  but  not  dangerously,  Lieutenant 
Bichard  Doubledick." 

At  Midsummer-time  in  the  year  eighteen  hundred  and 
fourteen  Lieutenant  Eichard  Doubledick  now  a  browned 
soldier  seven- and- thirty  years  of  age  came  home  to  Eng- 
land invalided.  He  brought  the  hair  with  him  near  his 
heart.  Many  a  French  officer  had  he  seen  since  that  day ; 
many  a  dreadful  night  in  searching  with  men  and  lan- 
terns for  his  wounded  had  he  relieved  French  officers 
lying  disabled;  but  the  mental  picture  and  the  reality 
had  never  come  together. 

Though  he  was  weak  and  suffered  pain,  he  lost  not  an 
hour  in  getting  down  to  Frome  in  Somersetshire,  where 
Taunton's  mother  lived.  It  was  a  Sunday  evening,  and 
the  lady  sat  at  her  quiet  garden -window,  reading  the 
Bible;  reading  to  herself,  in  a  trembling  voice.  He 
heard  the  words:  " Young  man,  I  say  unto  thee,  arise!  " 

He  had  to  pass  the  window ;  and  the  bright,  dark  eyes 
of  his  debased  time  seemed  to  look  at  him.  Her  heart 
told  her  who  he  was ;  she  came  to  the  door  quickly,  and 
fell  upon  his  neck. 

"He  saved  me  from  ruin,  made  me  a  human  creature, 
won  me  from  infamy  and  shame.  O,  God  for  ever  bless 
him !     As  He  will !  " 

"He  will!"  the  lady  answered.  "I  know  he  is  in 
Heaven !  "  Then  she  piteously  cried,  "  But,  O  my  darl- 
ing boy,  my  darling  boy !  " 

Kever  from  the  hour  when  Private  Eichard  Doubledick 
enlisted  at  Chatham  had  the  Private,  Corporal,  Sergeant, 


124:  CAPTAIN   RICHARD  DOUBLEDICK. 

Sergeant-Major,  Ensign,  or  Lieutenant  breathed  his 
right  name,  or  the  name  of  Mary  Marshall,  or  a  word  of 
the  story  of  his  life,  into  any  ear  except  his  reclaimer's. 
That  previous  scene  in  his  existence  was  closed.  He  had 
firmly  resolved  that  his  expiation  should  be  to  live  un- 
known; to  disturb  no  more  the  peace  that  had  long 
grown  over  his  old  offences ;  to  let  it  be  revealed,  when 
he  was  dead,  that  he  had  striven  and  suffered,  and  had 
never  forgotten ;  and  then,  if  they  could  forgive  him  and 
believe  him  it  would  be  time  enough ! 

But  that  night,  remembering  the  words  he  had  cher- 
ished for  two  years,  "Tell  her  how  we  became  friends. 
It  will  comfort  her,  as  it  comforts  me, "  he  related  every- 
thing. It  gradually  seemed  to  him  as  if  in  his  maturity 
he  had  recovered  a  mother ;  it  gradually  seemed  to  her 
as  if  in  her  bereavement  she  had  found  a  son.  During 
his  stay  in  England,  the  quiet  garden  into  which  he  had 
slowly  and  painfully  crept,  a  stranger,  became  the  boun- 
dary of  his  home;  when  he  was  able  to  rejoin  his  regi- 
ment in  the  spring,  he  left  the  garden,  thinking,  was  this 
indeed  the  first  time  he  had  ever  turned  his  face  toward 
the  old  colors  with  a  woman's  blessing! 

He  followed  them — so  ragged,  so  scarred  and  pierced 
now,  that  they  would  scarcely  hold  together — to  Quatre 
Bras  and  Ligny.  He  stood  beside  them,  in  an  awful 
stillness  of  many  men,  shadowy  through  the  mist  and 
drizzle  of  a  wet  June  forenoon,  on  the  field  of  Waterloo. 
And  down  to  that  hour  the  picture  in  his  mind  of  the 
French  officer  had  never  been  compared  with  the  reality. 


CAPTAIN   RICHARD  DOUBLEDICK. 


125 


The  famous  regiment  was  in  action  early  in  the 
battle,  and  received  its  first  check  in  many  an  event- 
ful year,  when  he  was  seen  to  fall.     But  it  swept  on 


to  avenge  him,  and  left  behind  it  no  such  creature  in 
the  world  of  consciousness  as  Lieutenant  Eichard 
Doubleclick. 

Through  pits  of  mire,  and  pools  of  rain ;  along  roads, 
that  were  pounded  and  ploughed  to  pieces  by  artillery, 
tramp  of  men  and  horses,  and  the  struggle  of  every 
wheeled  thing  that  could  carry  wounded  soldiers;  jolted 


126  CAPTAIN   RICHARD  DOUBLEDICK. 

among  the  dying  and  the  dead,  so  disfigured  by  blood 
and  mud  as  to  be  hardly  recognizable  for  humanity; 
dead,  as  to  any  sentient  life  that  was  in  it,  and  yet  alive 
— the  form  that  had  been  Lieutenant  Eichard  Double- 
dick,  with  whose  praises  England  rang,  was  conveyed  to 
Brussels.  There  it  was  tenderly  laid  down  in  hospital; 
and  there  it  lay,  week  after  week,  through  the  long 
bright  summer  days,  until  the  harvest,  spared  by  war, 
had  ripened  and  was  gathered  in. 

Over  and  over  again  the  sun  rose  and  set  upon  the 
crowded  city ;  over  and  over  again  the  moonlight  nights 
were  quiet  on  the  plains  of  Waterloo :  and  all  that  time 
was  a  blank  to  what  had  been  Lieutenant  Eichard 
Doubledick.  Eejoicing  troops  marched  into  Brussels, 
and  marched  out ;  brothers  and  fathers,  sisters,  mothers, 
and  wives,  came  thronging  thither  and  departed ;  indif- 
ferent to  all,  a  marble  face  lay  on  a  bed,  like  the  face  of 
a  recumbent  statue  on  the  tomb  of  Lieutenant  Eichard 
Doubledick. 

Slowly  laboring,  at  last,  through  a  long  heavy  dream 
of  confused  time  and  place,  presenting  faint  glimpses  of 
army  surgeons  whom  he  knew,  and  of  faces  that  had 
been  familiar  to  his  youth,  — dearest  and  kindest  amoug 
them,  Mary  Marshall's,  with  a  solicitude  upon  it  more 
like  reality  than  anything  he  could  discern, — Lieutenant 
Eichard  Doubledick  came  back  to  life ;  to  the  peaceful 
life  of  a  fresh  quiet  room  with  a  large  window  standing 
open ;  a  balcony  beyond,  in  which  were  moving  leaves 
and   sweet -smelling   flowers;    beyond,    again,    the   clear 


CAPTAIN   RICHARD   DOUBLEDICK.  127 

sky,  with  the  sun  full  in  his  sight,  pouring  its  golden 
radiance  on  his  bed. 

It  was  so  tranquil  and  so  lovely  that  he  thought  he  had 
passed  into  another  world.  And  he  said  in  a  faint  voice 
1 1  Taunton,  are  you  near  me ! " 

A  face  bent  over  him.     Not  his,  his  mother's. 

"  I  came  to  nurse  you.  We  have  nursed  you  many 
weeks.  You  were  moved  here  long  ago.  Do  you  re- 
member nothing  \ " 

"  Nothing. " 

The  lady  kissed  his  cheek,  and  hold  his  hand,  soothing 
him. 

"Where  is  the  regiment?  What  has  happened?  Let 
me  call  you  mother.     What  has  happened,  mother  ?  " 

"A  great  victory,  dear.  The  war  is  over,  and  the  regi- 
ment was  the  bravest  in  the  field." 

His  eyes  kindled,  his  lips  trembled,  and  the  tears  ran 
down  his  face.  He  was  very  weak,  too  weak  to  move 
his  hand. 

"Was  it  dark  just  now? "  he  asked  presently. 

"No." 

"It  was  only  dark  to  me?  Something  passed  away, 
like  a  black  shadow.  But  as  it  went,  and  the  sun — O 
the  blessed  sun,  how  beautiful  it  is ! — touched  my  face,  I 
thought  I  saw  a  light  white  cloud  pass  out  at  the  door. 
Was  there  nothing  that  went  out  ?  " 

She  shook  her  head,  and  in  a  little  while  he  fell  asleep, 
she  still  holding  his  hand,  and  soothing  him. 

From  that  time,  he  recovered — slowly,  for  he  had  been 


128  CAPTAIN   RICHARD  DOUBLEDIOK. 

desperately  wounded  in  the  head,  and  had  been  shot  in 
the  body,  but  making  some  little  advance  every  day. 
When  he  had  gained  sufficient  strength  to  converse  as  he 
lay  in  bed,  he  soon  began  to  remark  that  Mrs.  Taunton 
always  brought  him  back  to  his  own  history.  Then  he 
recalled  his  preserver's  dying  words,  and  thought,  "It 

« 

comforts  her." 

One  day  he  awoke  out  of  a  sleep,  refreshed,  and  asked 
her  to  read  to  him.  But  the  curtain  of  the  bed,  soften- 
ing the  light,  which  she  always  drew  back  when  he 
awoke,  that  she  might  see  him  from  her  table  at  the 
bedside  where  she  sat  at  work,  was  held  undrawn ;  and 
a  woman's  voice  spoke,  which  was  not  hers. 

"Can  you  bear  to  see  a  stranger ?"  it  said  softly. 
"Will  you  like  to  see  a  stranger? " 

"Stranger! "  he  repeated.  The  voice  awoke  old  mem- 
ories, before  the  days  of  Private  Eichard  Doubleclick. 

"A  stranger  now,  but  not  a  stranger  once,"  it  said  in 
tones  that  thrilled  him.  "Eichard,  dear  Eichard,  lost 
through  so  many  years,  my  name — " 

He  cried  out  her  name,  "Mary,"  and  she  held  him  in 
her  arms,  and  his  head  lay  on  her  bosom. 

"I  am  not  breaking  a  rash  vow,  Eichard.  These  are 
not  Mary  Marshall's  lips  that  speak.  I  have  another 
name." 

She  was  married. 

"I  have  another  name,  Eichard.  Did  you  ever  hear 
it?" 

"Never  I  * 


CAPTAIN   RICHARD   DOUBLEDICK.  129 

He  looked  into  her  face,  so  pensively  beautiful,  and 
wondered  at  the  smile  upon  it  through  her  tears.  "  Think 
again,  Richard.  Are  you  sure  you  never  heard  my  al- 
tered name?  " 

"Never!" 

"Don't  move  your  head  to  look  at  me,  dear  Richard. 
Let  it  lie  here,  while  I  tell  my  story.  I  loved  a  gener- 
ous, noble  man ;  loved  him  with  my  whole  heart ;  loved 
him  for  years ;  loved  him  with  no  hope  of  return ;  loved 
him,  knowing  nothing  of  his  highest  qualities — not  even 
knowing  that  he  was  alive.  He  was  a  brave  soldier. 
He  was  honored  and  beloved  by  thousands  of  thousands, 
when  the  mother  of  his  dear  friend  found  me,  and 
showed  me  that  in  all  his  triumphs  he  had  never  forgot- 
ten me.  He  was  wounded  in  a  great  battle.  He  was 
brought,  dying,  here,  into  Brussels.  I  came  to  watch 
and  tend  him,  as  I  would  have  joyfully  gone,  with  such 
a  purpose,  to  the  dreariest  ends  of  the  earth.  When  he 
knew  no  one  else,  he  knew  me.  When  he  suffered  most, 
he  bore  his  sufferings  barely  murmuring,  content  to  rest 
his  head  where  yours  rests  now.  When  he  lay  at  the 
point  of  death,  he  married  me,  that  he  might  call  me 
Wife  before  he  died.  And  the  name,  my  dear  love, 
that  I  took  on  that  forgotten  night — " 

"I  know  it  now! "  he  sobbed.  "The  shadowy  remem- 
brance strengthens.  It  is  come  back.  I  thank  Heaven 
that  my  mind  is  quite  restored !  My  Mary,  kiss  me ;  lull 
this  weary  head  to  rest,  or  I  shall  die  of  gratitude.  His 
parting  words  were  fulfilled.     I  see  Home  again  I n 


130  CAPTAIN   RICHARD   DOIIBLEDICK. 

They  were  happy.  It  was  a  long  recovery,  but  they 
were  happy  through  it  all.  The  snow  had  melted  on  the 
ground,  and  the  birds  were  singing  in  the  leafless  thick- 
ets of  the  early  spring,  when  those  three  were  first  able 
to  ride  out  together,  and  when  people  flocked  about  the 
open  carriage  to  cheer  and  congratulate  Captain  Richard 
Doublediek. 

But  even  then  it  became  necessary  for  the  Captain,  in- 
stead of  returning  to  England,  to  complete  his  recovery 
in  the  climate  of  Southern  France.  They  found  a  spot 
upon  the  Rhone,  within  a  ride  of  the  old  town  of  Avig- 
non, and  within  view  of  its  broken  bridge ;  they  lived 
there,  together,  six  months;  then  returned  to  England. 
Mrs.  Taunton,  growing  old  after  three  years,  and  remem- 
bering that  her  strength  had  been  benefited  by  the 
change,  resolved  to  go  back  for  a  year.  So  she  went 
with  a  faithful  servant,  who  had  often  carried  her  son 
in  his  arms;  and  she  was  to  be  rejoined  and  escorted 
home,  at  the  year's  end,  by  Captain  Richard  Double- 
dick. 

She  wrote  regularly  to  her  children  (as  she  called 
them  now),  and  they  to  her.  She  went  to  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Aix ;  and  there,  in  their  own  chateau  near  the 
farmer's  house  she  rented,  she  grew  into  intimacy  with 
a  family  belonging  to  that  part  of  France.  The  intimacy 
began  in  her  often  meeting  among  the  vineyards  a  pretty 
child,  a  girl  with  a  most  compassionate  heart,  who  was 
never  tired  of  listening  to  the  solitary  English  lady's 
stories  of  her  poor  son  and  the  cruel  wars.     The  family 


CAPTAIN   RICHARD   DOUBLEDICK.  131 

were  as  gentle  as  the  child,  and  at  length  she  came  to 
know  them  so  well  that  she  accepted  their  invitation  to 
pass  the  last  month  abroad  under  their  roof.  All  this 
intelligence  she  wrote  home,  piecemeal  as  it  came  about, 
from  time  to  time ;  and  at  last  enclosed  a  polite  note, 
from  the  head  of  the  chateau,  soliciting,  on  the  occasion 
of  his  approaching  mission  to  that  neighborhood,  the 
honor  of  the  company  of  cet  horn  me  si  justement  cele- 
bre,  Monsieur  le  Capitaine  Eichard  Doubleclick. 

Captain  Doubledick,  now  a  hardy,  handsome  man  in 
the  full  vigor  of  life,  broader  across  the  chest  and  shoul- 
ders than  he  had  ever  been  before,  despatched  a  cour- 
teous reply,  and  followed  it  in  person.  Travelling 
through  all  that  extent  of  country  after  three  years  of 
Peace,  he  blessed  the  better  days  on  which  the  world 
had  fallen.  The  corn  was  golden,  not  drenched  in  un- 
natural red ;  was  bound  in  sheaves  for  food,  not  trodden 
underfoot  by  men  in  mortal  fight.  The  smoke  rose  up 
from  peaceful  hearths,  not  blazing  ruins.  The  carts 
were  laden  with  the  fair  fruits  of  the  earth,  not  with 
wounds  and  death.  To  him  who  had  so  often  seen  the 
terrible  reverse,  these  things  were  beautiful  indeed ;  and 
they  brought  him  in  a  softened  spirit  to  the  old  chateau 
near  Aix  upon  a  deep  blue  evening. 

It  was  a  large  chateau  with  round  towers  and  a  high 
leaden  roof,  and  more  windows  than  Aladdin's  Palace. 
The  lattice  blinds  were  all  thrown  open  after  the  heat  of 
the  day,  and  there  were  glimpses  of  rambling  walls  and 
corridors  within.     The  entrance   doors  stood  open,  as 


132  CAPTAIN   RICHARD   DOUBLEDICK. 

doors  often  do  in  that  country  when  the  heat  of  the  day 
is  past ;  and  the  Captain  saw  no  bell  or  knocker,  and 
walked  in. 

He  walked  into  a  lofty  stone  hall,  refreshingly  cool 
and  gloomy  after  the  glare  of  a  Southern  day's  travel. 
Extending  along  the  four  sides  of  this  hall  was  a  gallery, 
leading  to  suites  of  rooms;  and  it  was  lighted  from  the 
top.     Still  no  bell  was  to  be  seen. 

"Faith,"  said  the  Captain  halting,  ashamed  of  the 
clanking  of  his  boots,  "this  is  a  ghostly  beginning! " 

He  started  back,  and  felt  his  face  turn  white.  In  the 
gallery,  looking  down  at  him,  stood  the  French  officer — 
the  officer  whose  picture  he  had  carried  in  his  mind  so 
long  and  so  far.  Compared  with  the  original,  at  last — 
in  every  lineament  how  like  it  was! 

He  moved,  and  disappeared,  and  Captain  Richard 
Doubleclick  heard  his  steps  coming  quickly  down  into 
the  hall.  He  entered  through  an  archway.  There  was 
a  bright,  sudden  look  upon  his  face,  much  such  a  look 
as  it  had  worn  in  that  fatal  moment. 

Monsieur  le  Capitaine  Richard  Doubleclick  t  En- 
chanted to  receive  him!  A  thousand  apologies!  The 
servants  were  all  out  in  the  air.  There  was  a  little  fe*te 
among  them  in  the  garden.  In  effect,  it  was  the  fete 
day  of  my  daughter,  the  little  cherished  and  protected 
of  Madame  Taunton. 

He  was  so  gracious  and  so  frank  that  Monsieur  le 
Capitaine  Bichard  Doubledick  could  not  withhold  his 
hand.    "It  is  the  hand  of  a  brave  Englishman,"  said  the 


CAPTAIN   RICHARD   DOUBLEDICK. 


133 


French  officer,  retaining  it  while  he  spoke.  "I  could 
respect  a  brave  Englishman,  even  as  my  foe,  how  much 
more  as  my  friend!     I  also  am  a  soldier," 


"He  has  not  remembered  me,  as  I  have  remembered 
him ;  he  did  not  take  such  note  of  my  face,  that  day,  as 


134 


CAPTAIN   RICHARD   DOUBLEDICK. 


I  took  of  his,"  thought  Captain  Richard  Doubleclick. 
"How  shall  I  tell  him?" 

The  French  officer  conducted  his  guest  into  a  garden 
and  presented  him  to  his  wife,  an  engaging  and  beauti- 
ful woman,  sitting  with  Mrs.  Taunton  in  an  old-fash- 
ioned pavilion.  His  daughter,  her  fair  young  face  beam- 
ing with  joy,  came  running  to  embrace  him;  and  there 
was  a  boy-baby  to  tumble  down  among  the  orange  trees 
on  the  broad  steps,  in  making  for  his  father's  legs.  A 
multitude  of  children  visitors  were  dancing  to  sprightly 
music ;  and  all  the  servants  and  peasants  about  the  cha- 
teau were  dancing  too.  It  was  a  scene  of  innocent  hap- 
piness that  might  have  been  invented  for  the  climax  of 
the  scenes  of  peace  which  had  soothed  the  Captain's 
journey. 

He  looked  on,  greatly  troubled  in  his  mind,  until  a 
resounding  bell  rang  and  the  French  officer  begged  to 
show  him  his  rooms.  They  went  up -stairs  into  the  gal- 
lery from  which  the  officer  had  looked  down ;  and  Mon- 
sieur le  Capitaine  Eichard  Doubledick  was  cordially 
welcomed  to  a  grand  outer  chamber,  and  a  smaller  one 
within. 

"You  were  at  Waterloo,"  said  the  French  officer. 

"I  was,"  said  Captain  Richard  Doubledick.  "And 
at  Badajos." 

Left  alone  with  the  sound  of  his  own  stern  voice  in 
his  ears,  he  sat  down  to  consider,  What  shall  I  do,  and 
how  shall  I  tell  him  ?  At  that  time,  unhappily,  many 
deplorable  duels  had  been  fought  between  English  and 


CAPTAIN   RICHARD   DOUBLEDICK.  135 

French  officers,  arising  out  of  the  recent  war;  and  these 
duels,  and  how  to  avoid  this  officer's  hospitality,  were  the 
uppermost  thought  in  Captain  Eichard  Doubledick's 
mind. 

He  was  thinking,  and  letting  the  time  run  out  in  which 
he  should  have  dressed  for  dinner,  when  Mrs.  Taunton 
spoke  to  him  outside  the  door,  asking  if  he  could  give 
her  the  letter  he  had  brought  from  Mary.  "His  mother, 
above  all,9  the  Captain  thought.  "How  shall  I  tell 
her?" 

"You  will  form  a  friendship  with  your  host,  I  hope," 
said  Mrs.  Taunton,  whom  he  hurriedly  admitted,  "that 
will  last  for  life.  He  is  so  true-hearted  and  so  generous, 
Eichard,  that  you  can  hardly  fail  to  esteem  one  another. 
If  He  had  been  spared  he  would  have  appreciated  him 
with  his  own  magnanimity,  and  would  have  been  truly 
happy  that  the  evil  days  were  past  which  made  such  a 
man  his  enemy. " 

She  left  the  room ;  and  the  Captain  walked,  first  to 
one  window,  whence  he  could  see  the  dancing  in  the 
garden,  then  to  another  window,  whence  he  could  see  the 
smiling  prospect  and  the  peaceful  vineyards. 

"Spirit  of  my  departed  friend,"  said  he,  "is  it  through 
thee  these  better  thoughts  are  rising  in  my  mind  1  Is  it 
thou  who  hast  shown  me,  all  the  way  I  have  been  drawn 
to  meet  this  man,  the  blessings  of  the  altered  time !  Is 
it  thou  who  hast  sent  thy  stricken  mother  to  me,  to  stay 
my  angry  hand?  Is  it  from  thee  the  whisper  comes, 
that  this  man  did  his  duty  as  thou  didst,  — and  as  I  did, 


136 


CAPTAIN   RICHARD   DOUBLEDICK. 


through  thy  guidance,  which  has  wholly  saved  me  here 
on  earth, — and  that  he  did  no  more? " 

He  sat  down,  with  his  head  buried  in  his  hands,  and, 
when  he  rose  up,  made  the  second  strong  resolution  of 
his  life, — that  neither  to  the  French  officer,  nor  to  the 
mother  of  his  departed  friend,  nor  to  any  soul,  while 
either  of  the  two  was  living,  would  he  breathe  what  only 
he  knew.  And  when  he  touched  that  French  officer's 
glass  with  his  own,  that  day  at  dinner,  he  secretly  for- 
gave him  in  the  name  of  the  Divine  Forgiver  of  injuries. 


rJfJy 


j&tfiUxvi^ 


THE  HOLLY-TREE.  IN  THREE  CHAPTERS. 


CHAPTER  L 

THE  GUEST. 


I  have  kept  one  secret  in  the  course  of  my  life.  I 
am  a  bashful  man.  I  might  greatly  move  the  reader  by 
some  account  of  the  innumerable  places  I  have  not  been 
to,  or  the  innumerable  social  evasions  I  have  been  guilty 
of,  solely  because  I  am  a  bashful  man.  But  I  will  leave 
the  reader  unmoved,  and  proceed  with  the  object  before 
me. 

That  object  is  to  give  a  plain  account  of  my  travels 
and  discoveries  in  the  Holly-Tree  Inn ;  in  which  place  of 
good  entertainment  for  man  and  beast  I  was  once  snowed 
up. 

It  happened  in  the  memorable  year  when  I  parted 
forever  from  Angela  Leath,  whom  I  was  shortly  to 
have  married,  on  making  the  discovery  that  she  pre- 
ferred my  bosom  friend.  It  was  under  these  circum- 
stances that  I  resolved  to  go  to  America — on  my  way 
to  the  Devil. 

Communicating  my  discovery  neither  to  Angela  nor 
137 


138 


THE   HOLLY-TREE. 


to  Edwin,  but  resolving  to  write  each  of  them  an  affect- 
ing letter   conveying    my  blessing  and  forgiveness,  I 


quietly  left  all  I  held  dear,  and  started  on  the  desolate 
journey  I  have  mentioned. 


THE   HOLLY-TREE.  139 

The  dead  winter-time  was  in  full  dreariness  when  1 
left  my  chambers  forever,  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing. 

It  wanted  nine  days  to  the  end  of  the  month,  and  end 
of  the  year.  The  Post-office  packet  for  the  United 
States  was  to  depart  from  Liverpool,  weather  permit- 
ting, on  the  first  of  the  ensuing  month,  and  I  had  the 
intervening  time  on  my  hands.  I  had  taken  this  into 
consideration,  and  had  resolved  to  make  a  visit  to  a  cer- 
tain spot  on  the  farther  borders  of  Yorkshire.  It  was 
endeared  to  me  by  my  having  first  seen  Angela  at  a 
farm-house  in  that  place,  and  my  melancholy  was  grati- 
fied by  the  idea  of  taking  a  wintry  leave  of  it  before  my 
expatriation. 

There  was  no  Northern  Eailway  at  that  time,  and  in 
its  place  there  were  stage-coaches.  I  had  secured  the 
box-seat  on  the  fastest  of  these,  but  when  one  of  our 
Temple  watchmen,  who  carried  my  portmanteau  into 
Fleet- street  for  me,  told  me  about  the  huge  blocks  of  ice 
that  had  for  some  days  past  been  floating  in  the  river, 
having  closed  up  in  the  night,  and  made  a  walk  from 
the  Temple  Gardens  over  to  the  Surrey  shore,  I  began 
to  ask  myself  the  question,  whether  the  box-seat  would 
not  be  likely  to  put  a  sudden  and  a  frosty  end  to  my  un 
happiness.  I  was  heart-broken,  it  is  true,  and  yet  I  was 
uot  quite  so  far  gone  as  to  wish  to  be  frozen  to  death. 

When  I  got  up  to  the  Peacock, — where  I  found  every- 
body drinking  hot  purl,  in  self-preservation,  — I  asked  if 
there  were  an  inside  seat  to  spare.     I  then  discovered 


no 


THE   HOLLY-TREE. 


that,  inside  or  out,  I  was  the  only  passenger.  This  gave 
me  a  still  livelier  idea  of  the  great  inclemency  of  the 
weather,  since  that  coach  always  loaded  particularly  well. 


It  was  still  dark  when  we  left  the  Peacock.  For  a  lit- 
tle while,  pale,  uncertain  ghosts  of  houses  and  trees  ap- 
peared and  vanished,  and  then  it  was  hard,  black,  frozen 


THE   HOLLY-TREE.  141 

day.  People  were  lighting  their  fires ;  snioke  was  mount- 
ing straight  up  high  into  the  rarefied  air ;  and  we  were 
rattling  for  Highgate  Archway  over  the  hardest  ground 
I  have  ever  heard  the  ring  of  iron  shoes  on.  I  don't 
know  when  the  snow  began  to  set  in;  but  I  know 
that  we  were  changing  horses  somewhere  when  I 
heard  the  guard  remark,  "That  the  old  lady  up  in 
the  sky  was  picking  her  geese  pretty  hard  to-day." 
Then,  indeed,  I  found  the  white  down  falling  fast  and 
thick. 

The  lonely  day  wore  on,  and  I  dozed  it  out,  as  a  lonely 
traveller  does.  The  coach  and  horses  seemed  to  execute 
in  chorus  Auld  Lang  Syne,  without  a  moment's  inter- 
mission. 

I  forget  now  where  we  were  at  noon  on  the  second 
day,  and  where  we  ought  to  have  been ;  but  I  know  that 
we  were  scores  of  miles  behindhand,  and  that  our  case 
was  growing  worse  every  hour.  We  performed  Auld 
Lang  Syne  the  whole  day ;  seeing  nothing,  out  of  towns 
and  villages,  but  the  track  of  stoats,  hares,  and  foxes, 
and  sometimes  of  birds.  At  nine  o'clock  at  night,  on  a 
Yorkshire  moor,  a  cheerful  burst  from  our  horn,  and  a 
welcome  sound  of  talking,  with  a  glimmering  and  mov- 
ing about  of  lanterns,  roused  me  from  my  drowsy  state. 
I  found  that  we  were  going  to  change. 

They  helped  me  out,  and  I  said  to  a  waiter,  whose 
bare  head  became  as  white  as  King  Lear's  in  a  single 
minute,  "  What  Inn  is  this?  " 

"The  Holly-Tree,  sir,"  said  he. 


U2 


THE   HOLLY-TREE. 


"  Upon  my  word,  I  believe, "  said  I,  apologetically,  to 
the  guard  and  coachman,  "that  I  must  stop  here." 
I  thought  I  had  never  seen  such  a  large  room  as  that 


THE    HOLLY-TREE.  143 

into  which  they  showed  me.  It  had  five  windows,  with 
dark  red  curtains  that  would  have  absorbed  the  light  of 
a  general  illumination ;  and  there  were  complications  of 
drapery  at  the  top  of  the  curtains,  that  went  wandering 
about  the  wall  in  a  most  extraordinary  manner.  I  asked 
for  a  smaller  room,  and  they  told  me  there  was  no 
smaller  room.  They  could  screen  me  in,  however,  the 
landlord  said.  They  brought  a  great  old  japanned 
screen,  with  natives  (Japanese,  I  suppose)  engaged  in  a 
variety  of  idiotic  pursuits  all  over  it ;  and  left  me  roast- 
ing whole  before  an  immense  fire. 

My  bedroom  was  some  quarter  of  a  mile  off,  up  a  great 
staircase  at  the  end  of  a  long  gallery.  It  was  the  grim- 
mest room  I  have  ever  had  the  nightmare  in ;  and  all  the 
furniture,  from  the  four  posts  of  the  bed  to  the  two  old 
silver  candlesticks,  was  tall,  high-shouldered,  and  spin- 
dle-waisted.  Below,  in  my  sitting-room,  if  I  looked 
round  my  screen,  the  wind  rushed  at  me  like  a  mad  bull ; 
if  I  stuck  to  my  armchair,  the  fire  scorched  me  to  the 
color  of  a  new  brick. 

In  the  morning  I  found  that  it  was  snowing  still,  that 
it  had  snowed  at  night,  and  that  I  was  snowed  up. 
Nothing  could  get  out  of  that  spot  on  the  moor,  or  could 
come  at  it,  until  the  road  had  been  cut  out  by  laborers 
from  the  market-town.  When  they  might  cut  their  way 
to  the  Holly -Tree  nobody  could  tell  me. 

Trying  to  settle  down  in  my  solitude,  I  first  of  ail 
asked  what  books  there  were  in  the  house.  The  waiter 
brought  me  a  Book  of  Boads,  two  or  three  old  Kewspa- 


144  THE   HOLLY- TREE. 

pers,  a  little  Song-Book,  terminating  in  a  collection  of 
Toasts  and  Sentiments,  a  little  Jest -Book,  an  odd  volume 
of  Peregrine  Tickle,  and  the  Sentimental  Journey.  I  knew 
every  word  of  the  last  already,  but  I  read  them  through 
again,  then  tried  to  hum  all  the  songs  (Auld  Lang  Syne 
was  among  them)  ;  went  entirely  through  the  jokes, — in 
which  I  found  a  fund  of  melancholy  adapted  to  my  state 
of  mind ;  proposed  all  the  toasts,  enunciated  all  the  sen- 
timents, and  mastered  the  papers.  The  latter  had  noth- 
ing in  them  but  stock  advertisements,  a  meeting  about  a 
county  rate,  and  a  highway  robbery.  As  I  am  a  greedy 
reader,  I  could  not  make  this  supply  hold  out  until 
night ;  it  was  exhausted  by  tea-time.  Being  then  entirely 
cast  upon  my  own  resources,  I  got  through  an  hour  in 
considering  what  to  do  next.  Ultimately  a  desperate 
idea  came  into  my  head.  Under  any  other  circum- 
stances I  should  have  rejected  it;  but,  in  the  strait  at 
which  I  was,  I  held  it  fast.  Could  I  so  far  overcome  the 
inherent  bashfulness  which  withheld  me  from  the  land- 
lord's table  and  the  company  I  might  find  there,  as  to 
call  up  the  Boots,  and  ask  him  to  take  a  chair,  — and 
something  in  a  liquid  form,  — and  talk  to  me  ?  I  could. 
I  would.     I  did. 


THE  HOLLY-TREE. 


145 


CHAPTER  II. 


THE    BOOTS. 


Where  had  he  been  in  his  time  ?  he  repeated,  when 
I  asked  him  the  question.     Lord,  he  had  been  every- 
where !     And  what  had  he  been? 
Bless  you,   he  had  been  every- 
thing you  could  mention  a'most! 
Seen  a  good  deal?     Why,  of 
'course  he  had.     I  should  say  so, 
he   could   assure  me,  if  I  only 
knew  about  a  twentieth  part  of 
what    had     come    in    his    way. 
Why,    it    would    be   easier    for 
him,  he  expected,  to  tell  what 
he  hadn't  seen  than  what  he 
had. 

What    was   the  curiousest 
thing  he  had  seen?    Well! 
He  didn't  know.    He  couldn't 
momently  name  what  was  the 
curiousest  thing  he  had  seen, — 
unless  it  was  a  Unicorn, — and  he 
see  him  once  at  a  Fair.     But  suppos- 
ing a  young  gentleman   not  eight  year 
old   was  to  run  away  with  a  fine  young 
woman   of   seven,    might  I  think  that  a   queer   start? 


146  THE   HOLLY-TREE. 

Certainly.  Then  that  was  a  start  as  he  himself  had  had 
his  blessed  eyes  on,  and  he  had  cleaned  the  shoes  they 
run  away  in — and  they  was  so  little  that  he  couldn't 
get  his  hand  into  'em. 

Master  Harry  Walniers'  father,  you  see,  he  lived  at 
the  Elmses,  down  away  by  Shooter's  Hill  there,  six  or 
seven  miles  from  Lunnon.  He  was  a  gentleman  of 
spirit,  and  good-looking,  and  held  his  head  up  when  he 
walked,  and  had  what  you  may  call  Fire  about  him. 
He  wrote  poetry,  and  he  rode,  and  he  ran,  and  he  crick- 
eted, and  he  danced,  and  he  acted,  and  he  done  it  all 
equally  beautiful.  He  was  uncommon  proud  of  Master 
Harry  as  was  his  only  child;  but  he  didn't  spoil  him 
neither.  He  was  a  gentleman  that  had  a  will  of  his  own 
and  a  eye  of  his  own,  and  that  would  be  minded.  Con- 
sequently, though  he  made  quite  a  companion  of  the  fine 
bright  boy,  and  was  delighted  to  see  him  so  fond  of  read- 
ing his  fairy -books,  and  was  never  tired  of  hearing  him 
say  my  name  is  Norval,  or  hearing  him  sing  his  songs 
about  "  Young  May  Moons  is  beaming  love, "  and  "  When 
he  as  adores  thee  has  left  but  the  name, "  and  that ;  still 
he  kept  the  command  over  the  child,  and  the  child  was 
a  child,  and  it's  to  be  wished  more  of  'em  was! 

How  did  Boots  happen  to  know  all  this?  Why, 
through  being  under-gardener.  Of  course  he  couldn't 
be  under-gardener,  and  be  always  about,  in  the  summer- 
time, near  the  windows  on  the  lawn,  a  mowing,  and 
sweeping,  and  weeding,  and  pruning,  and  this  and  that, 
without  getting  acquainted  with  the  ways  of  the  family. 


THE   HOLLY-TREE.  14? 

Even  supposing  Master  Harry  hadn't  come  to  him  one 
morning  early,  and  said,  "Cobbs,  how  should  you  spell 
Xorah,  if  you  was  asked?  "  and  then  began  cutting  it  in 
print  all  over  the  fence. 

He  couldn't  say  he  had  taken  particular  notice  of  chil- 
dren before  that ;  but  really  it  was  pretty  to  see  them  two 
mites  a  going  about  the  place  together,  deep  in  love. 
And  the  courage  of  the  boy !  Bless  your  soul,  he'd  have 
throwed  off  his  little  hat,  and  tucked  up  his  little  sleeves, 
and  gone  in  at  a  Lion,  he  would,  if  they  had  happened 
to  meet  one,  and  she  had  been  frightened  of  him.  One 
day  he  stops,  along  with  her,  where  Boots  was  hoeing 
weeds  in  the  gravel,  and  says,  speaking  up,  "Cobbs,"  he 
says,  "I  like  you."  " Do  you,  sir?  I'm  proud  to  hear 
it."  "Yes,  I  do,  Cobbs.  Why  do  I  like  you,  do  you 
think,  Cobbs?"  "Don't  know,  Master  Harry,  I  am 
sure."  "Because  Norah  likes  you,  Cobbs."  "Indeed, 
sir?  That's  very  gratifying."  "Gratifying,  Cobbs? 
It's  better  than  millions  of  the  brightest  diamonds  to 
be  liked  by  Norah."  "Certainly,  sir."  "You're  going 
away,  ain't  you,  Cobbs?"  "Yes,  sir."  "Would  you 
like  another  situation,  Cobbs?"  "Well,  sir,  I  shouldn't 
object,  if  it  was  a  good  'un."  "Then,  Cobbs,"  says  he, 
"you  shall  be  our  Head  Gardener  when  we  are  married." 
And  he  tucks  her,  in  her  little  sky-blue  mantle,  under 
his  arm,  and  walks  away. 

Boots  could  assure  me  that  it  was  better  than  a  picter, 
and  equal  to  a  play,  to  see  them  babies,  with  their  long, 
bright,    curling  hair,   their  sparkling  eyes,   and   their 


148 


THE    HOLLY-TREE. 


beautiful  light  tread,  a  rambling  about  the  garden,  deep 
in  love.     Boots  was  of  the  opinion  that  the  birds  believed 
they   was  birds,  and  kept  up 
with    'em,    singing    to     please 
'em.     Sometimes    they    would 
creep     under    the    Tulip -tree, 
and  would  sit  there  with  their 
arms  round  one  another's  necks, 
and  their  soft  cheeks  touching, 
a  reading  about  the  Prince  and 
the    Dragon,     and     the 
good  and  bad  enchant- 
ers, and  the  king's  fair 
daughter.   Sometimes  he 
would  hear  them  plan- 
ning    about    having    a 
house  in  a  forest,  keep- 
ing bees  and  a  cow,  and 
living  on  milk  and 
honey.       Once     he 
came  upon  them  by 
the  pond,  and  heard 
Master  Harry  say, 
"  Adorable    Norah, 
kiss    me,    and    say 
you  love  me  to  dis- 
traction,  or  I'll  jump  in  headforemost. "    And  Boots 
made  no  question  he  would  have  done  it  if  she  hadn't 

complied. 
12 


THE   HOLLY-TREE.  149 

"Cobbs,"  said  Master  Harry,  one  evening,  when 
Cobbs  was  watering  the  flowers,  "I  am -going  on  a  visit, 
this  present  Midsummer,  to  my  grandmamma's  at 
York." 

"  Are  you  indeed,  sir1?  I  hope  you'll  have  a  pleasant 
time.  I  am  going  into  Yorkshire,  myself,  when  I  leave 
here. " 

"Are  you  going  to  your  grandmamma's,  Cobbs?  " 

"No,  sir.     I  haven't  got  such  a  thing." 

"Not  as  a  grandmamma,  Cobbs?" 

"No,  sir." 

The  boy  looked  on  at  the  watering  of  the  flowers  for 
a  little  while,  and  then  said,  "I  shall  be  very  glad  in- 
deed to  go,  Cobbs, — Norah's  going." 

"You'll  be  all  right  then,  sir,"  says  Cobbs,  "with  your 
beautiful  sweetheart  by  your  side. " 

"Cobbs,"  returned  the  boy,  flushing,  "I  never  let  any- 
body joke  about  it,  when  I  can  prevent  them." 

"It  wasn't  a  joke,  sir,"  says  Cobbs,  with  humility, — 
"wasn't  so  meant." 

"I  am  glad  of  that,  Cobbs,  because  I  like  you,  you 
know,  and  you're  going  to  live  with  us. — Cobbs!  " 

"Sir." 

"What  do  you  think  my  grandmamma  gives  me  when 
I  go  down  there  %  " 

"I  couldn't  so  much  as  make  a  guess,  sir." 

"A  Bank  of  England  five-pound  note,  Cobbs." 

"Whew!"  says  Cobbs,  "that's  a  spanking  sum  of 
money,  Master  Harry. " 


150  THE   HOLLY-TREE. 

"  A  person  could  do  a  good  deal  with  such  a  sum  of 
money  as  that, — couldn't  a  person,  Cobbs?  " 

" I  believe  you,  sir!" 

" Cobbs,"  said  the  boy,  "I'll  tell  you  a  secret.  At 
Koran's  house,  they  have  been  joking  her  about  me,  and 
pretending  to  laugh  at  our  being  engaged, — pretending 
to  make  game  of  it,  Cobbs !  " 

"Such,  sir,"  says  Cobbs,  "is  the  depravity  of  human 
nature. " 

The  boy,  looking  exactly  like  his  father,  stood  for  a 
few  minutes  with  his  glowing  face  toward  the  sunset, 
and  then  departed  with  "Good  night,  Cobbs.  I'm  going 
iu." 

Well,  sir !  Boots  left  the  Elmses  when  his  time  was 
up,  and  Master  Harry,  he  went  down  to  the  old  lady's  at 
York.  What  does  that  Infant  do,— for  Infant  you  may 
call  him  and  be  within  the  mark, — but  cut  away  from 
that  old  lady's  with  his  Norah,  on  a  expedition  to  go  to 
Gretna  Green  and  be  married ! 

Sir,  Boots  was  at  this  identical  Holly-Tree  Inn  when, 
one  summer  afternoon,  the  coach  drives  up,  and  out  of 
the  coach  gets  them  two  children.  The  Guard  says  to 
our  Governor,  "I  don't  quite  make  out  these  little  pas- 
sengers, but  the  young  gentleman's  words  was  that  they 
was  to  be  brought  here. "  The  young  gentleman  gets  out ; 
hands  his  lady  out ;  gives  the  Guard  something  for  him- 
self; says  to  our  Governor,  "We're  to  stop  here  to- 
night, please.  Sitting-room  and  two  bedrooms  will  be 
required.     Chops  and  cherry-pudding   for  two!"   and 


THE  HOLLY-TREE.  151 

tucks  her,  in  her  little  sky-blue  mantle,  under  his  arm, 
and  walks  into  the  house  much  bolder  than  Brass, 

Boots  leaves  me  to  judge  what  the  amazement  of  that 
establishment  was,  when  these  two  tiny  creatures  si:. 
alone  by  themselves  was  marched  into  the  Angel, — much 
more  so,  when  he,  who  had  seen  them  without  their 
seeing  him,  give  the  Governor  his  views  of  the  expedi- 
tion they  was  upon.  Cobbs,"  says  the  Governor,  "if 
this  is  so,  I  must  set  off  myself  to  York,  and  quiet  their 
friends'  minds.  In  which  case  you  must  keep  your  eye 
upon  'em,  and  humor  'em,  till  I  come  back.  But  before 
I  take  these  measures,  Cobbs,  I  should  wish  you  to  find 
from  themselves  whether  your  opinion  is  correct. "  "  Sir, 
to  you,"  says  Cobbs,  "that  shall  be  done  directly." 

So  Boots  goes  up -stairs  to  the  Angel,  and  there  he 
finds  Master  Harry  on  a  enormous  sofa, — immense  at 
any  time,  but  looking  like  the  Great  Bed  of  Ware,  com- 
pared with  him, — a  drying  the  eyes  of  Miss  Norah  with 
his  pocket-handkecher.  Their  little  legs  was  entirely 
off  the  ground,  of  course,  and  it  really  is  not  possible 
for  Boots  to  express  to  me  how  small  them  children 
looked. 

"It's  Cobbs!  It's  Cobbs!"  cries  Master  Harry,  and 
conies  running  to  him,  and  catching  hold  of  his  hand. 
Miss  Norah  comes  running  to  him  on  t'other  side  and 
catching  hold  of  his  t'other  hand,  and  they  both  jump 
for  joy. 

"I  see  you  a  getting  out,  sir," says  Cobbs.  "I  thought 
it  was  you.     I  thought  I  couldn't  be  mistaken  in  your 


152  THE    HOLLY-TREE. 

height  and  figure.     What's  the  object  of  your  journey, 
sir  ! — Matrimonial  ?  " 

"We  are  going  to  be  married,  Cobbs,  at  Gretna 
Green, "  returned  the  boy.  "  We  have  run  away  on  pur- 
pose. Norah  has  been  in  rather  low  spirits,  Cobbs ;  but 
she'll  be  happy,  now  we  have  found  you  to  be  our 
friend. " 

" Thank  you,  sir,  and  thank  you,  miss,"  says  Cobbs, 
"for  your  good  opinion.  Did  you  bring  any  luggage 
with  you,  sir !  " 

If  I  will  believe  Boots  when  he  gives  me  his  word  and 
honor  upon  it,  the  lady  had  got  a  parasol,  a  smelling- 
bottle,  a  round  and  a  half  of  cold  buttered  toast,  eight 
peppermint  drops,  and  a  hair-brush, — seemingly  a 
doll's.  The  gentleman  had  got  about  half  a  dozen  yards 
of  string,  a  knife,  three  or  four  sheets  of  writing-paper 
folded  up  surprising  small,  a  orange,  and  a  Chaney  mug 
with  his  name  upon  it. 

" What  may  be  the  exact  natur  of  your  plans,  sir?" 
says  Cobbs. 

"To  go  on,"  replied  the  boy, — which  the  courage  of 
that  boy  was  something  wonderful ! — "in  the  morning, 
and  be  married  to-morrow. " 

"Just  so,  sir,"  says  Cobbs.  "Would  it  meet  your 
views,  sir,  if  I  was  to  accompany  you !  " 

When  Cobbs  said  this,  they  both  jumped  for  joy 
again,  and  cried  out,  "Oh,  yes,  yes,  Cobbs!     Yes!" 

"Well,  sir,"  says  Cobbs.  "If  you  will  excuse  my 
having  the  freedom  to  give  an  opinion,  what  I  should 


THE   HOLLY-TREE.  153 

recommend  would  be  this.  I'm  acquainted  with  a  pony, 
sir,  which,  put  in  a  pheayton  that  I  could  borrow,  would 
take  you  and  Mrs.  Harry  Walmers,  Junior  (myself 
driving,  if  you  approved),  to  the  end  of  your  journey 
in  a  very  short  space  of  time.  I  am  not  altogether  sure, 
sir,  that  this  pony  will  be  at  liberty  to-morrow,  but  even 
if  you  had  to  wait  over  to-morrow  for  him,  it  might  be 
worth  your  while.  As  to  the  small  account  here,  sir,  in 
case  you  was  to  find  yourself  running  at  all  short,  that 
don't  signify;  because  I'm  a  part  proprietor  of  this  inn, 
and  it  could  stand  over." 

Boots  assures  me  that  when  they  clapped  their  hands, 
and  jumped  for  joy  again,  and  called  him  "Good 
Cobbs!"  and  "Dear  Cobbs!"  and  bent  across  him  to 
kiss  one  another  in  the  delight  of  their  confiding  hearts, 
he  felt  himself  the  meanest  rascal  for  deceiving  'em  that 
ever  was  born. 

"Is  there  anything  you  want  just  at  present,  sir?" 
says  Cobbs,  mortally  ashamed  of  himself. 

"We  should  like  some  cakes  after  dinner,"  answered 
Master  Harry,  folding  his  arms,  putting  out  one  leg,  and 
looking  straight  at  him,  "and  two  apples, — and  jam. 
With  dinner  we  should  like  to  have  toast-and-water. 
But  Koran  has  always  been  accustomed  to  half  a  glass  of 
currant  wine  at  desert.     And  so  have  I." 

"  It  shall  be  ordered  at  the  bar,  sir, "  says  Cobbs ;  and 
away  he  went. 

The  way  in  which  the  women  of  that  house — without 
exception — every  one  of  'em — married  and  single — took 


15-1  THE   HOLLY-TREE. 

to  that  boy  when  they  heard  the  story,  Boots  considers 
surprising.  It  was  as  much  as  he  could  do  to  keep  'em 
from  dashing  into  the  room  and  kissing  him.  They 
climbed  up  all  sorts  of  places,  at  the  risk  of  their  lives, 
to  look  at  them  through  a  pane  of  glass.  They  was 
seven  deep  at  the  keyhole.  They  was  out  of  their  minds 
about  him  and  his  bold  spirit. 

In  the  evening,  Boots  went  into  the  room  to  see  how 
the  run -away  couple  was  getting  on.  The  gentleman 
was  on  the  window-seat,  supporting  the  lady  in  his  arms. 
She  had  tears  upon  her  face,  and  was  lying,  very  tired 
and  half  asleep,  with  her  head  upon  his  shoulder. 

"Mrs.  Harry  Walmers,  Junior,  fatigued,  sir?"  says 
Cobbs. 

"Yes,  she  is  tired,  Cobbs;  but  she  is  Jiot  used  to  be 
away  from  home,  and  she  has  been  in  low  spirits 
again.  Cobbs,  do  you  think  you  could  bring  a  biffin, 
please ! " 

"  I  ask  your  pardon,  sir, "  says  Cobbs.  "  What  was  it 
you — !" 

"I  think  a  Norfolk  biffin  would  rouse  her,  Cobbs. 
She  is  very  fond  of  them." 

Boots  withdrew  in  search  of  the  required  restorative, 
and,  when  he  brought  it  in,  the  gentleman  handed  it  to 
the  lady,  and  fed  her  with  a  spoon,  and  took  a  little 
himself;  the  lady  being  heavy  with  sleep,  and  rather 
cross.  "  What  should  you  think,  sir,"  says  Cobbs,  "of 
a  chamber  candlestick 1  "  The  gentleman  approved ;  the 
chambermaid  went  first,  up  the  great  staircase ;  the  lady, 


THE   HOLLY-TREE. 


155 


in  her  sky-blue  mantle,  followed,  gallantly  escorted  by 
the  gentleman ;  the  gentleman  embraced  her  at  her  door, 


and  retired  to  his  own  apartment,  where  Boots  softly 
locked  hiin  up. 

Boots  couldn't  but  feel  with  increased  acuteness  what 


156  THE   HOLLY- TREE. 

a  base  deceiver  lie  was,  when  they  consulted  him  at 
breakfast  (they  had  ordered  sweet  milk-and-water,  and 
toast  and  currant  jelly,  overnight)  about  the  pony.  It 
really  was  as  much  as  he  could  do,  he  don't  mind  con- 
fessing to  me,  to  look  them  two  young  things  in  the  face, 
and  think  what  a  wicked  old  father  of  lies  he  had  grown 
up  to  be.  Howsomever,  he  went  on  a  lying  like  a  Tro- 
jan about  the  pony.  He  told  'em  that  it  did  so  unfort'- 
nately  happen  that  the  pony  was  half  clipped,  you  see, 
and  that  he  couldn't  be  taken  out  in  that  state,  for  fear 
it  should  strike  to  his  inside.  But  that  he'd  be  finished 
clipping  in  the  course  of  the  day,  and  that  to-morrow 
morning  at  eight  o'clock  the  pheayton  would  be  ready. 
Boots's  view  of  the  whole  case,  looking  back  on  it  in  my 
room,  is,  that  Mrs.  Harry  Walmers,  Junior,  was  begin- 
ning to  give  in.  She  hadn't  had  her  hair  curled  when 
she  went  to  bed,  and  she  didn't  seem  quite  up  to  brush- 
ing it  herself,  and  its  getting  in  her  eyes  put  her  out. 
But  nothing  put  out  Master  Harry.  He  sat  behind  his 
breakfast -cup,  a  tearing  away  at  the  jelly,  as  if  he  had 
been  his  own  father. 

After  breakfast,  Boots  is  inclined  to  consider  that 
they  drawed  soldiers, — at  least,  he  knows  that  many 
such  was  found  in  the  fire-place,  all  on  horseback.  In 
the  course  of  the  morning,  Master  Harry  rang  the  bell, 
—it  was  surprising  how  that  there  boy  did  carry  ou,— 
and  said,  in  a  sprightly  way,  "  Oobbs,  is  there  any  good 
walks  in  this  neighborhood  1 " 

"Yes,  sir,"  says  Cobbs.     " There's  Love-lane." 


THE   HOLLY-TREE.  157 

"Get  out  with  you,  Cobbs!" — that  was  that  there 
boy's  expression, — "you're  joking." 

"  Begging  your  pardon,  sir, "  says  Cobbs,  "  there  really 
is  Love-lane.  And  a  pleasant  walk  it  is,  and  proud 
shall  I  be  to  show  it  to  yourself  and  Mrs.  Harry  Wal- 
mers,  Junior." 

"Norah,  dear,"  said  Master  Harry,  "this  is  curious. 
We  really  ought  to  see  Love-lane.  Put  on  your  bonnet, 
my  sweetest  darling,  and  we  will  go  there  with  Cobbs. " 

Boots  leaves  me  to  judge  what  a  Beast  he  felt  himself 
to  be,  when  that  young  pair  told  him,  as  they  all  three 
jogged  along  together,  that  they  had  made  up  their 
minds  to  give  him  two  thousand  guineas  a  year  as  head- 
gardener,  on  accounts  of  his  being  so  true  a  friend  to 
'em.  Boots  could  have  wished  at  the  moment  that  the 
earth  would  have  opened  and  swallowed  him  up,  he  felt 
so  mean,  with  their  beaming  eyes  a  looking  at  him,  and 
believing  him.  Well,  sir,  he  turned  the  conversation  as 
well  as  he  could,  and  he  took  'em  down  Love-lane  to  the 
water-meadows,  and  there  Master  Harry  would  have 
drowned  himself  in  half  a  moment  more,  a  getting  out 
a  water-lily  for  her, — but  nothing  daunted  that  boy. 
Well,  sir,  they  was  tired  out.  All  being  so  new  and 
strange  to  'em,  they  was  tired  as  tired  could  be.  And 
they  laid  down  on  a  bank  of  daisies,  like  the  children  in 
the  wood,  and  fell  asleep. 

Well,  sir,  they  woke  up  at  last,  and  then  one  thing 
was  getting  pretty  clear  to  Boots,  namely,  that  Mrs. 
Harry  Walmerses,  Junior's,  temper  was  on  the  move. 


158 


THE   HOLLY -TREE, 


When  Master  Harry  took  her  round  the  waist,  she  said 
he  "teased  her  so;"  and  when  he  says,  "Norah,  my 
young  May  Moon,  your  Harry  tease  you?"  she  tells 
him,  "Yes;  and  I  want  to  go  home!  " 

A  biled  fowl,  and  baked  bread-and-butter  pudding, 


brought  Mrs.  Walmers  up  a  little ;  but  Boots  could  have 
wished,  he  must  privately  own  to  me,  to  have  seen  her 
more  sensible  of  the  woice  of  love,  and  less  abandoning 
of  herself  to  currants.  However,  Master  Harry,  he  kept 
up,  and  his  noble  heart  was  as  fond  as  ever.  Mrs.  Wal- 
mers turned  very  sleepy  about  dusk,  and  began  to  cry. 


"  COBBS,  HOW  SHOULD  YOU  SPELL  NOBAH  ?  "   PAGE  176. 


THE   HOLLY-TREE.  159 

Therefore,  Mrs.  Walmers  went  off  to  bed  as  per  yester- 
day ;  and  Master  Harry  ditto  repeated. 

Abont  eleven  or  twelve  at  night  comes  back  the  Gov- 
ernor in  a  chaise,  along  with  Mr.  Walmers  and  a  elderly 
lady.  Mr.  Walmers  looks  amused  and  very  serious, 
both  at  once,  and  says  to  our  missis,  "We  are  much  in- 
debted to  you,  ma'am,  for  your  kind  care  of  our  little 
children,  which  we  can  never  sufficiently  acknowledge. 
Pray,  ma'am,  where  is  my  boy*?"  Our  missis  says, 
"  Cobbs  has  the  dear  child  in  charge,  sir.  Cobbs,  show 
Forty !  "  Then  he  says  to  Cobbs,  "  Ah,  Cobbs,  I  am  glad 
to  see  you !  I  understood  you  was  here !  "  And  Cobbs 
says,  "Yes,  sir.     Your  most  obedient,  sir." 

I  may  be  surprised  to  hear  Boots  say  it,  perhaps ;  but 
Boots  assures  me  that  his  heart  beat  like  a  hammer, 
going  up-stairs.  "I  beg  your  pardon,  sir,"  says  he, 
while  unlocking  the  door ;  "  I  hope  you  are  not  angry 
with  Master  Harry.  For  Master  Harry  is  a  fine  boy, 
sir,  and  will  do  you  credit  and  honor. "  And  Boots  sig- 
nifies to  me,  that,  if  the  fine  boy's  father  had  contra- 
dicted him  in  the  daring  state  of  mind  in  which  he  then 
was,  he  thinks  he  should  have  "fetched  him  a  crack," 
and  taken  the  consequences. 

But  Mr.  Walmers  only  says,  "No,  Cobbs.  No,  my 
good  fellow.  Thank  you ! "  And,  the  door  being 
opened,  goes  in. 

Boots  goes  in  too,  holding  the  light,  and  he  sees  Mr. 
Walmers  go  up  to  the  bedside,  bend  gently  down,  and 
kiss  the  little  sleeping  face.     Then  he  stands  looking  at 


100  THE   HOLLY-TREE. 

it  for  a  minute,  looking  wonderfully  like  it,  and  then  he 
gently  shakes  the  little  shoulder. 

"Harry,  my  dear  boy !     Harry ! " 

Master  Harry  starts  up  and  looks  at  him.  Looks  at 
Cobbs  too.  Such  is  the  honor  of  that  mite,  that  he  looks 
at  Cobbs,  to  see  whether  he  has  brought  him  into  trouble. 

"I  am  not  angry,  my  child.  I  only  want  you  to  dress 
yourself  and  come  home. " 

"Yes,  pa." 

Master  Harry  dresses  himself  quickly.  His  breast 
begins  to  swell  when  he  has  nearly  finished,  and  it  swells 
more  and  more  as  he  stands,  at  last,  a  looking  at  his 
father :  his  father  standing  a  looking  at  him,  the  quiet 
image  of  him. 

"Please  may  I" — the  spirit  of  that  little  creatur,  and 
the  way  he  kept  his  rising  tears  down! — "please,  dear 
pa — may  I — kiss  Norah  before  I  go  !  " 

"You  may,  my  child." 

So  he  takes  Master  Harry  in  his  hand,  and  Boots  leads 
the  way  with  the  candle,  and  they  come  to  that  other 
bedroom,  where  the  elderly  lady  is  seated  by  the  bed, 
and  poor  little  Mrs.  Harry  Walmers,  Junior,  is  fast 
asleep.  There  the  father  lifts  the  child  up  to  the  pillow, 
and  he  lays  his  little  face  down  for  an  instant  by  the 
little  warm  face  of  poor  unconscious  little  Mrs.  Harry 
Walmers,  Junior,  and  gently  draws  it  to  him,  — a  sight 
so  touching  to  the  chambermaids  who  are  peeping 
through  the  door,  that  one  of  them  calls  out,  "It's  a 
shame  to  part  'em!"    But  this  chambermaid  was  a!" 


THE   HOLLY-TREE.  1G1 

ways,   as  Boots  informs  me,  a  soft-hearted  one.     Not 
that  there  was  any  harm  in  that  girl.     Far  from  it. 

Finally,  Boots  says,  that's  all  about  it.  Mr.  Walmers 
drove  away  in  the  chaise,  having  hold  of  Master  Harry's 
hand.  The  elderly  lady  and  Mrs.  Harry  Walmers, 
Junior,  that  was  never  to  be  (she  married  a  Captain 
long  afterward,  and  died  in  India),  went  off  next  day. 
In  conclusion,  Boots  put  it  to  me  whether  I  hold  with 
him  in  two  opinions:  firstly,  that  there  are  not  many 
couples  on  their  way  to  be  married  who  are  half  as 
innocent  of  guile  as  those  two  children ;  secondly,  that 
it  would  be  a  jolly  good  thing  for  a  great  many  couples 
on  their  way  to  be  married,  if  they  could  only  be  stopped 
in  time,  and  brought  back  separately. 


CHAPTEE  III. 

THE   BILL. 


I  had  been  snowed  up  a  whole  week.  The  time  had 
hung  so  lightly  on  my  hands,  that  I  should  have  been  in 
great  doubt  of  the  fact  but  for  a  piece  of  documentary 
evidence  that  lay  upon  my  table.  The  road  had  been 
dug  out  of  the  snow  on  the  previous  day,  and  the  docu- 
ment in  question  was  my  Bill.  It  testified  emphatically 
to  my  having  eaten  and  drunk,  and  warmed  myself,  and 
slept  among  the  sheltering  branches  of  the  Holly-Tree, 

seven  days  and  nights. 
13 


162  THE   HOLLY-TREE. 

I  had  taken  leave  of  all  my  Holly-Tree  friends,  and 
was  standing  for  half  a  minute  at  the  Inn  door  watching 
the  ostler  as  he  took  another  turn  at  the  cord  which  tied 
my  portmanteau  on  the  chaise,  when  I  saw  lamps  com- 
ing down  toward  the  Holly-Tree.  The  road  was  so  pad- 
ded with  snow  that  no  wheels  were  audible ;  but  all  of 
us  who  were  standing  at  the  Inn  door  saw  lamps  coming 
on,  and  at  a  lively  rate  too,  between  the  walls  of  snow 
that  had  been  heaped  up  on  either  side  of  the  track. 
The  chambermaid  instantly  divined  how  the  case  stood, 
and  called  to  the  ostler,  "Tom,  this  is  a  Gretna  job!" 
The  ostler,  knowing  that  her  sex  instinctively  scented  a 
marriage,  or  anything  m  that  direction,  rushed  up  the 
yard  bawling,  "Next  four  out!"  and  in  a  moment  the 
whole  establishment  was  thrown  into  commotion. 

I  had  a  melancholy  interest  in  seeing  the  happy  man 
who  loved  and  was  beloved;  and  therefore,  instead  of 
driving  off  at  once,  I  remained  at  the  Inn  door  when  the 
fugitives  drove  up.  A  bright-eyed  fellow,  muffled  in  a 
mantle,  jumped  out  so  briskly  that  he  almost  overthrew 
me.  He  turned  to  apologize,  and,  by  Heaven,  it  was 
Edwin ! 

"Charley!"  said  he,  recoiling.  "Gracious  powers, 
what  do  you  do  here  !  " 

"Edwin,"  said  I,  recoiling,  "gracious  powers,  what 
do  you  do  here?  "  I  struck  my  forehead  as  I  said  it,  and 
an  insupportable  blaze  of  light  seemed  to  shoot  before 
my  eyes. 

He  hurried  me  into  the  1  Ittie  parlor  (always  kept  with 


THE   HOLLY-TREE.  163 

a  slow  fire  in  it  and  no  poker),  where  posting  company 
waited  while  their  horses  were  putting  to,  and,  shutting 
the  door,  said: 

"Charley,  forgive  me ! " 

"Edwin!"  I  returned.  "Was  this  well?  When  I 
loved  her  so  dearly !  When  I  had  garnered  up  my  heart 
so  long !  n     I  could  say  no  more. 

He  was  shocked  when  he  saw  how  moved  I  was,  and 
made  the  cruel  observation,  that  he  had  not  thought  I 
should  have  taken  it  so  much  to  heart. 

I  looked  at  him.  I  reproached  him  no  more.  But  I 
looked  at  him. 

"My  dear,  dear  Charley, "  said  he, "  don't  think  ill  of  me, 
I  beseech  you !  I  know  you  have  a  right  to  my  utmost 
confidence,  and,  believe  me,  you  have  ever  had  it  until 
now.  I  abhor  secrecy.  Its  meanness  is  intolerable  to  me. 
But  I  and  my  dear  girl  have  observed  it  for  your  sake. " 

He  and  his  dear  girl !     It  steeled  me. 

"You  have  observed  it  for  my  sake,  sir?"  said  I, 
wondering  how  his  frank  face  could  face  it  out  so. 

"Yes! — and  Angela's,"  said  he. 

I  found  the  room  reeling  round  in  an  uncertain  way, 
like  a  laboring  humming-top.  "Explain  yourself,"  said 
I,  holding  on  by  one  hand  to  an  armchair. 

"  Dear  old  darling  Charley ! "  returned  Edwin,  in  his 
cordial  manner,  "consider!  When  you  were  going  on 
so  happily  with  Angela,  why  should  I  compromise  you 
with  the  old  gentleman  by  making  you  a  party  to  our 
engagement,  and  (after  he  had  declined  my  proposals) 


164  THE   HOLLY-TREE. 


to  our  secret  intention!  Surely  it  was  better  that  you 
should  be  able  honorably  to  say,  'He  never  took  counsel 
with  me,  never  told  me,  never  breathed  a  word  of  it. ' 
If  Angela  suspected  it,  and  showed  me  all  the  favor  and 
support  she  could — God  bless  her  for  a  precious  creature 
and  a  priceless  wife ! — I  couldn't  help  that.  Neither  I 
nor  Emmeline  ever  told  her,  any  more  than  we  told  you. 
And  for  the  same  good  reason,  Charley;  trust  me,  for 
the  same  good  reason,  and  no  other  upon  earth !  " 

Emmeline  was  Angela's  cousin.  Lived  with  her. 
Had  been  brought  up  with  her.  Was  her  father's  ward. 
Had  property. 

" Emmeline  is  in  the  chaise,  my  dear  Edwin!  "  said  I, 
embracing  him  with  the  greatest  affection. 

"My  good  fellow! "  said  he,  "do  you  suppose  I  should 
be  going  to  Gretna  Green  without  her  % " 

I  ran  out  with  Edwin,  I  opened  the  chaise  door,  I  took 
Emmeline  in  my  arms,  I  folded  her  to  my  heart.  She 
was  wrapped  in  soft  white  fur,  like  the  snowy  land- 
scape; but  was  warm,  and  young,  and  lovely.  I  put 
their  leaders  to  with  my  own  hands,  I  gave  the  boys  a 
five-pound  note  apiece,  I  cheered  them  as  they  drove 
away,  I  drove  the  other  way  myself  as  hard  as  I  could 
pelt. 


DOCTOR  MARIGOLD'S  PRESCRIPTIONS. 


IN  TWO   CHAPTERS. 


CHAPTER    I. 


TO  BE  TAKEN"  IMMEDIATELY. 


I  am  a  Cheap  Jack, 

and  my   own   father's 

name       was      Willum 

Marigold.     It  was    in 

his   lifetime    supposed 

by  some  that  his  name 

was  William,   but  my 

own      father      always 

consistently   said,    No, 

it    was    Willum.      On 

which  point  I  content 

myself  with  lookiug  at 

the  argument  this  way : 

If  a  man  is  not  allowed 

to  know  his  own  name 

in  a  free  country,  how 

much  is  he  allowed  to 
165 


166  DOCTOR  MARIGOLD'S   PRESCRIPTIONS. 

know  in  a  land  of  slavery  ?  As  to  looking  at  the  argu- 
ment through  the  medium  of  the  Eegister,  Willum 
Marigold  come  into  the  world  before  Eegisters  come 
up  much, — and  went  out  of  it  too.  They  wouldn't 
have  been  greatly  in  his  line  neither,  if  they  had 
chanced  to  come  up  before  him. 

I  was  born  on  the  Queen's  highway,  but  it  was  the 
King's  at  that  time.  A  doctor  was  fetched  to  my  own 
mother  by  my  own  father,  when  it  took  place  on  a  com- 
mon :  and  in  consequence  of  his  being  a  very  kind  gen- 
tleman, and  accepting  no  fee  but  a  tea-tray,  I  was  named 
Doctor,  out  of  gratitude  and  compliment  to  him.  There 
you  have  me.     Doctor  Marigold. 

I  am  at  present  a  middle-aged  man  of  a  broadish 
build,  in  cords,  leggings,  and  a  sleeved  waistcoat  the 
strings  of  which  is  always  gone  behind.  Repair  them 
how  you  will,  they  go  like  fiddle -strings.  You  have 
been  to  the  theatre,  and  you  have  seen  one  of  the  wiolin  - 
players  screw  up  his  wiolin,  after  listening  to  it  as  if  it 
had  been  whispering  the  secret  to  him  that  it  feared  it 
was  out  of  order,  and  then  you  have  heard  it  snap. 
That's  as  exactly  similar  to  my  waistcoat  as  a  waistcoat 
and  a  wiolin  can  be  like  one  another. 

I  am  partial  to  a  white  hat,  and  I  like  a  shawl  round 
my  neck  wore  loose  and  easy.  Sitting  down  is  my  fa- 
vorite posture.  If  I  have  a  taste  in  point  of  personal 
jewelry,  it  is  mother-of-pearl  buttons.  There  you  have 
me  again,  as  large  as  life. 

The  doctor  having  accepted  a  tea-tray,  you'll  guess 


DOCTOR   MARIGOLD'S   PRESCRIPTIONS.  167 

that  my  father  was  a  Cheap  Jack  before  me.  You  are 
right.  He  was.  It  was  a  pretty  tray.  It  represented 
a  large  lady  going  along  a  serpentine  uphill  gravel-walk, 
to  attend  a  little  church.  Two  swans  had  likewise  come 
astray  with  the  same  intentions.  When  I  call  her  a  large 
lady,  I  don't  mean  in  point  of  breadth,  for  there  she  fell 
below  my  views,  but  she  more  than  made  it  up  in  height ; 
her  height  and  slimness  was — in  short  the  height  of 
both. 

I  often  saw  that  tray,  after  I  was  the  innocently  smil- 
ing cause  of  the  doctor's  standing  it  up  on  a  table  against 
the  wall  in  his  consulting-room.  Whenever  my  own 
father  and  mother  were  in  that  part  of  the  country,  I 
used  to  put  my  head  in  at  the  doctor's  door,  and  the 
doctor  was  always  glad  to  see  me,  and  said,  "  Aha,  my 
brother  practitioner!  Come  in,  little  M.D.  How  are 
your  inclinations  as  to  sixpence  ?  " 

You  can't  go  on  forever,  you'll  find,  nor  yet  could 
my  father  nor  yet  my  mother.  If  you  don't  go  off  as  a 
whole  when  you  are  about  due,  you're  liable  to  go  off  in 
part,  and  two  to  one  your  head's  the  part.  Gradually 
my  father  went  off  his,  and  my  mother  went  off  hers. 

My  father  had  been  a  lovely  one  in  his  time  at  the 
Cheap  Jack  work,  as  his  dying  observations  went  to 
prove.  But  I  top  him.  I  don't  say  it  because  it's  my- 
self, but  because  it  has  been  universally  acknowledged 
by  all  that  has  had  the  means  of  comparison.  I  have 
worked  at  it.  I  have  measured  myself  against  other 
public  speakers, — Members  of  Parliament,   Platforms, 


168  DOCTOR   MARIGOLD'S   PRESCRIPTIONS. 

Pulpits,  Counsel  learned  in  the  law, — and  where  I  have 
found  'em  good,  I  have  took  a  bit  of  imagination  from 
?em,  and  where  I  have  found  'em  bad,  I  have  let  'em 
alone.  Now  I'll  tell  you  what.  I  mean  to  go  down  into 
my  grave  declaring  that  of  all  the  callings  ill  used  in 
Great  Britain,  the  Cheap  Jack  calling  is  the  worst  used. 
Why  ain't  we  a  profession  ?  Why  ain't  we  endowed  with 
privileges?  Why  are  we  forced  to  take  out  a  hawker's 
license,  when  no  such  thing  is  expected  of  the  political 
hawkers'?  Where's  the  difference  betwixt  us!  Except 
that  we  are  Cheap  Jacks  and  they  are  Dear  Jacks,  I 
don't  see  any  difference  but  what's  in  our  favor. 

I  courted  my  wife  from  the  footboard  of  the  cart.  I 
did  indeed.  She  was  a  Suffolk  young  woman,  and  it  was 
in  Ipswich  market-place  right  opposite  the  corn- 
chandler's  shop.  I  had  noticed  her  up  at  a  window  last 
Saturday  that  was,  appreciating  highly.  I  had  took  to 
her,  and  I  had  said  to  myself,  "If  not  already  disposed 
of,  I'll  have  that  lot."  Next  Saturday  that  come,  I 
pitched  the  cart  on  the  same  pitch,  and  I  was  in  very 
high  feather  indeed,  keeping  'em  laughing  the  whole  of 
the  time,  and  getting  off  the  goods  briskly.  At  last  I 
took  out  of  my  waistcoat-pocket  a  small  lot  wrapped  in 
soft  paper,  and  I  put  it  this  way  (looking  up  at  the 
window  where  she  was).  "Now  here,  my  blooming  Eng- 
lish maidens,  is  an  article,  the  last  article  of  the  present 
evening's  sale,  which  I  offer  to  only  you,  the  lovely  Suf- 
folk Dumplings  biling  over  with  beauty,  and  I  won't  take 
a  bid  of  a  thousand  pounds  for  from  any  man  alive.     Now 


DOCTOR   MARIGOLD'S   PRESCRIPTIONS.  169 

what  is  it!  Why,  I'll  tell  you  what  it  is.  It's  made  of 
fine  gold,  and  it's  not  broke,  though  there's  a  hole  in  the 
middle  of  it,  and  it's  stronger  than  any  fetter  that  ever 
was  forged,  though  its  smaller  than  any  finger  in  my  set 
of  ten.  Why  ten?  Because,  when  my  parents  made 
over  my  property  to  me,  I  tell  you  true,  there  was 
twelve  sheets,  twelve  towels,  twelve  table-cloths,  twelve 
knives,  twelve  forks,  twelve  tablespoons,  and  twelve 
teaspoons,  but  my  set  of  fingers  was  two  short  of  a 
dozen,  and  could  never  since  be  matched.  Now  what 
else  is  it!  Come,  I'll  tell  you.  It's  a  hoop  of  solid 
gold,  wrapped  in  a  silver  curl-paper,  that  I  myself  took 
off  the  shining  locks  of  the  ever  beautiful  old  lady  in 
Threadneedle-street,  London  city ;  I  wouldn't  tell  you 
so  if  I  hadn't  the  paper  to  show,  or  you  mightn't  believe 
it  even  of  me.  Now  what  else  is  it?  It's  a  man-trap 
and  a  handcuff,  the  parish  stocks  and  a  leg-lock,  all  in 
gold  and  all  in  one.  Now  what  else  is  it?  It's  a  wed- 
ding-ring. Now  I'll  tell  you  what  I'm  a  going  to  do 
with  it.  I'm  not  a  going  to  offer  this  lot  for  money ;  but 
I  mean  to  give  it  to  the  next  of  you  beauties  that  laughs, 
and  I'll  pay  her  a  visit  to-morrow  morning  at  exactly 
half  after  nine  o'clock  as  the  chimes  go,  and  I'll  take 
her  out  for  a  walk  to.  put  up  the  banns."  She  laughed, 
and  got  the  ring  handed  up  to  her.  When  I  called  in 
the  morning,  she  says,  "O  dear!  It's  never  you,  and 
you  never  mean  it? "  "It's  ever  ine,"  says  I,  "and  I  am 
ever  yours,  and  I  ever  mean  it. "  So  we  got  married, 
after  being  put  up  three  times — which,  by  the  bye,  is 


170  DOCTOR  MARIGOLD'S   PRESCRIPTIONS. 

quite  in  the  Cheap  Jack  way  again,  and  shows  once  more 
how  the  Cheap  Jack  customs  pervade  society. 

She  wasn't  a  bad  wife,  but  she  had  a  temper.  If  she 
could  have  parted  with  that  one  article  at  a  sacrifice,  I 
wouldn't  have  swopped  her  away  in  exchange  for  any 
other  woman  in  England.  Not  that  I  ever  did  swop  her 
away,  for  we  lived  together  till  she  died,  and  that  was 
thirteen  year.  Now,  my  lords  and  ladies  and  gentlefolks 
all,  I'll  let  you  into  a  secret,  though  you  won't  believe 
it.  Thirteen  year  of  temper  in  a  Palace  would  try  the 
worst  of  you,  but  thirteen  year  of  temper  in  a  Cart  would 
try  the  best  of  you.  You  are  kept  so  very  close  to  it  in 
a  cart,  you  see.  There's  thousands  of  couples  among 
you  getting  on  like  sweet  ile  upon  a  whetstone  in  houses 
five  and  six  pairs  of  stairs  high,  that  would  go  to  the 
Divorce  Court  in  a  cart.  Whether  the  jolting  makes 
it  worse,  I  don't  undertake  to  decide ;  but  in  a  cart  it 
does  come  home  to  you,  and  stick  to  you.  Wiolence  in 
a  cart  is  so  wiolent,  and  aggrawation  in  a  cart  is  so 
aggrawating. 

My  dog  knew  as  well  when  she  was  on  the  turn  as  I 
did.  Before  she  broke  out,  he  would  give  a  howl,  and 
bolt.  How  he  knew  it,  was  a  mystery  to  me ;  but  the 
sure  and  certain  knowledge  of  it  would  wake  him  out  of 
his  soundest  sleep,  and  he  would  give  a  howl,  and  bolt. 
At  such  times  I  wished  I  was  him. 

The  worst  of  it  was,  we  had  a  daughter  born  to  us,  and 
I  love  children  with  all  my  heart.  When  she  was  in  her 
furies  she  beat  the  child.     This  got  to  be  so  shocking,  as 


DOCTOR  MARIGOLD'S   PRESCRIPTIONS.  l7l 

the  child  got  to  be  four  or  five  year  old,  that  I  have 
many  a  time  gone  on  with  my  whip  over  my  shoulder,  at 
the  old  horse's  head,  sobbing  and  crying  worse  than  ever 
little  Sophy  did.  For  how  could  I  prevent  it?  Such  a 
thing  is  not  to  be  tried  with  such  a  temper — in  a  cart — 
without  coming  to  a  fight.  It's  in  the  natural  size  and 
formation  of  a  cart  to  bring  it  to  a  fight.  And  then  the 
poor  child  got  worse  terrified  than  before,  as  well  as  worse 
hurt  generally,  and  her  mother  made  complaints  to  the 
next  people  we  lighted  on,  and  the  word  went  round, 
"  Here's  a  wretch  of  a  Cheap  Jack  been  a  beating  his 
wife. " 

Little  Sophy  was  such  a  brave  child !  She  grew  to  be 
quite  devoted  to  her  poor  father,  though  he  could  do  so 
little  to  help  her.  She  had  a  wonderful  quantity  of 
shining  dark  hair,  all  curling  natural  about  her.  It  is 
quite  astonishing  to  me  now,  that  I  didn't  go  tearing 
mad  when  I  used  to  see  her  run  from  her  mother  before 
the  cart,  and  her  mother  catch  her  by  this  hair,  and  pull 
her  down  by  it,  and  beat  her. 

Such  a  brave  child  I  said  she  was !     Ah !  with  reason. 

"Don't  you  mind  next  time,  father  dear/' she  would 
whisper  to  me,  with  her  little  face  still  flushed,  and  her 
bright  eyes  still  wet;  "if  I  don't  cry  out,  you  may  know 
I  am  not  much  hurt.  And  even  if  I  do  cry  out,  it  will 
only  be  to  get  mother  to  let  go  and  leave  off. "  What  I 
have  seen  the  little  spirit  bear — for  me — without  crying 
out ! 

Yet  in  other  respects  her  mother  took  great  care  of 


172  DOCTOR   MARIGOLD'S   PRESCRIPTIONS. 

her.  Her  clothes  were  always  clean  and  neat,  and  her 
mother  was  never  tired  of  working  at  'em.  Such  is  the 
inconsistency  in  things.  Onr  being  down  in  the  marsh 
country  in  unhealthy  weather,  I  consider  the  cause  of 
Sophy's  taking  bad  low  fever ;  but  however  she  took  it, 
once  she  got  it  she  turned  away  from  her  mother  for 
evermore,  and  nothing  would  persuade  her  to  be  touched 
by  her  mother's  hand.  She  would  shiver  and  say,  "No, 
no,  no,"  when  it  was  offered  at,  and  would  hide  her  face 
on  my  shoulder,  and  hold  me  tighter  round  the  neck. 

The  Cheap  Jack  business  had  been  worse  than  ever  I 
had  known  it,  what  with  one  thing  and  what  with  an- 
other (and  not  least  with  railroads,  which  will  cut  it  all 
to  pieces,  I  expect,  at  last),  and  I  was  run  dry  of  money. 
For  which  reason,  one  night  at  that  period  of  little 
Sophy's  being  so  bad,  either  we  must  have  come  to  a 
deadlock  for  victuals  and  drink,  or  I  must  have  pitched 
the  cart  as  I  did. 

I  couldn't  get  the  dear  child  to  lie  down  or  leave  go  of 
me,  and  indeed  I  hadn't  the  heart  to  try,  so  I  stepped  out 
on  the  footboard  with  her  holding  round  my  neck.  They 
all  set  up  a  laugh  when  they  see  us. 

"Now,  you  country  boobies,"  says  I,  feeling  as  if  my 
heart  was  a  heavy  weight  at  the  end  of  a  broken  sashline, 
"I  give  you  notice  that  I  am  a  going  to  charm  the  money 
out  of  your  pockets,  and  to  give  you  so  much  more  than 
your  money's  worth  that  you'll  only  persuade  yourselves 
to  draw  your  Saturday  night's  wages  ever  again  arter- 
ward  by  the  hopes  of  meeting  me  to  lay  'em  out  with, 


DOCTOR   MARIGOLD'S   PRESCRIPTIONS.  173 

which  you  never  will,  and  why  not?  Because  I've  made 
my  fortune  by  selling  my  goods  on  a  large  scale  for 
seventy-five  per  cent  less  than  I  give  for  'em,  and  I  am 
consequently  to  be  elevated  to  the  House  of  Peers  next 
week,  by  the  title  of  the  Duke  of  Cheap  Jacks  and.  Markis 
Jackaloorul.  Now  let's  know  what  you  want  to-night, 
and  you  shall  have  it.  But  first  of  all,  shall  I  tell  you 
why  I  have  got  this  little  girl  round  my  neck?  You 
don't  want  to  know?  Then  you  shall.  She  belongs  to 
the  Fairies.  She's  a  fortune-teller.  She  can  tell  me  all 
about  you  in  a  whisper,  and  can  put  me  up  to  whether 
you're  going  to  buy  a  lot  or  leave  it.  Now  do  you  want 
a  saw?  No,  she  says  you  don't,  because  you're  too 
clumsy  to  use  one.  Else  here's  a  saw  which  would  be  a 
lifelong  blessing  to  a  handy  man,  at  four  shillings,  at 
three  and  six,  at  three,  at  two  and  six,  at  two,  at  eigh- 
teen-pence.  But  none  of  you  shall  have  it  at  any  price, 
on  account  of  your  well-known  awkwardness,  which 
would  make  it  manslaughter.  The  same  objection  ap- 
plies to  this  set  of  three  planes  which  I  won't  let  you 
have  neither,  so  don't  bid  for  'em.  Now  I  am  a  going 
to  ask  her  what  you  do  want."  (Then  I  whispered, 
"Your  head  burns  so,  that  I  am  afraid  it  hurts  you  bad, 
my  pet, "  and  she  answered,  without  opening  her  heavy 
eyes,  "  Just  a  little,  father. ")  "  O !  This  little  fortune- 
teller says  it's  a  memorandum-book  you  want.  Then 
why  didn't  you  mention  it?  Here  it  is.  Look  at  it. 
Two  hundred  superfine  hot-pressed  wire-wove  pages — if 
you  don't  believe  me,  count  'em — ready  ruled  for  your 


174:  DOCTOR  MARIGOLD'S   PRESCRIPTIONS. 

expenses,  an  everlastingly  pointed  pencil  to  put  'em 
down  with,  a  double-bladed  penknife  to  scratch  'em  out 
with,  a  book  of  printed  tables  to  calculate  your  income 
with,  and  a  camp-stool  to  sit  down  upon  while  you  give 
your  mind  to  it !  Stop !  And  an  umbrella  to  keep  the 
moon  off  when  you  give  your  mind  to  it  on  a  pitch  dark 
night.  Now  I  won't  ask  you  how  much  for  the  lot,  but 
how  little?  How  little  are  you  thinking  of !  Don't  be 
ashamed  to  mention  it,  because  my  fortune-teller  knows 
already."  (Then  making  believe  to  whisper,  I  kissed 
her,  and  she  kissed  me. )  "  Why,  she  says  you  are  think- 
ing of  as  little  as  three  and  threepence !  I  couldn't  have 
believed  it,  even  of  you,  unless  she  told  me.  Three  and 
threepence !  And  a  set  of  printed  tables  in  the  lot  that'll 
calculate  your  income  up  to  forty  thousand  a  year! 
With  an  income  of  forty  thousand  a  year,  you  grudge 
three  and  sixpence.  Well  then,  I'll  tell  you  my  opinion. 
I  so  despise  the  threepence,  that  I'd  sooner  take  three  shil- 
lings. There.  For  three  shillings,  three  shillings,  three 
shillings!     Gone.     Hand  'em  over  to  the  lucky  man." 

As  there  had  been  no  bid  at  all,  everybody  looked 
about  and  grinned  at  everybody,  while  I  touched  little 
Sophy's  face  and  asked  her  if  she  felt  faint,  or  giddy. 
"Not  very,  father.  It  will  soon  be  over."  Then  turn- 
ing from  the  pretty  patient  eyes,  which  were  opened 
now,  and  seeing  nothing  but  grins  across  my  lighted 
grease-pot,  I  went  on  again  in  my  Cheap  Jack  style. 
"Where's  the  butcher?"  (My  sorrowful  eye  had  just 
caught  sight  of  a  fat  young  butcher  on  the  outside  of  the 


DOCTOR  MARIGOLD'S   PRESCRIPTIONS.  175 

crowd.)  "She  says  the  good  luck  is  the  butcher's. 
Where  is  he?"  Everybody  handed  on  the  blushing 
butcher  to  the  front,  and  there  was  a  roar,  and  the 
butcher  felt  himself  obliged  to  put  his  hand  in  his  pocket, 
and  take  the  lot.  The  party  so  picked  out,  in  general, 
does  feel  obliged  to  take  the  lot — good  four  times  out  of 
six.  Then  we  had  another  lot,  the  counterpart  of  that 
one,  and  sold  it  sixpence  cheaper,  which  is  always  wery 
much  enjoyed.  Then  we  had  the  spectacles.  It  ain't  a 
special  profitable  lot,  but  I  put  'em  on,  and  I  see  what 
the  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer  is  going  to  take  off  the 
taxes,  and  I  see  what  the  sweetheart  of  the  young  woman 
in  the  shawl  is  doing  at  home,  and  I  see  what  the  Bishops 
has  got  for  dinner,  and  a  deal  more  that  seldom  fails  to 
fetch  'em  up  in  their  spirits ;  and  the  better  their  spirits, 
the  better  their  bids.  Then  we  had  the  ladies'  lot — the 
teapot,  tea-caddy,  glass  sugar-basin,  half-a-dozen  spoons, 
and  caudle-cup — and  all  the  time  I  was  making  similar 
excuses  to  give  a  look  or  two  and  say  a  word  or  two  to 
my  poor  child.  It  was  while  the  second  ladies'  lot  was 
holding  'em  enchained  that  I  felt  her  lift  herself  a  little 
on  my  shoulder,  to  look  across  the  dark  street.  "What 
troubles  you,  darling?"  " Nothing  troubles  me,  father. 
I  am  not  at  all  troubled.  But  don't  I  see  a  pretty 
churchyard  over  there?"  "Yes,  my  dear."  "Kiss  me 
twice,  dear  father,  and  lay  me  down  to  rest  upon  that 
churchyard  grass  so  soft  and  green. "  I  staggered  back 
into  the  cart  with  her  head  dropped  on  my  shoulder,  and 
I  says  to  her  mother,  "Quick.     Shut  the  door!     Don't 


176  DOCTOR   MARIGOLD'S   PRESCRIPTIONS. 

let  those  laughing  people  see!  "  "  What's  the  matter?  " 
she  cries.  "O  woman,  woman,"  I  tells  her,  " you'll 
never  catch  my  little  Sophy  by  her  hair  again,  for  she 
has  flown  away  from  you !  " 

Maybe  those  were  harder  words  than  I  meant  'em ;  but 
from  that  time  forth  my  wife  took  to  brooding,  and 
would  sit  in  the  cart  or  walk  beside  it,  hours  at  a  stretch, 
with  her  arms  crossed,  and  her  eyes  looking  on  the 
ground.  When  her  furies  took  her  (which  was  rather 
seldomer  than  before)  they  took  her  in  a  new  way,  and 
she  banged  herself  about  to  that  extent  that  I  was  forced 
to  hold  her.  She  got  none  the  better  for  a  little  drink 
now  and  then,  and  through  some  years  I  used  to  wonder, 
as  I  plodded  along  at  the  old  horse's  "head,  whether  there 
was  many  carts  upon  the  road  that  held  so  much  dreari- 
ness as  mine,  for  all  my  being  looked  up  to  as  the  King 
of  the  Cheap  Jacks.  So  sad  our  lives  went  on  till  one 
summer  evening,  when,  as  we  were  coming  into  Exeter, 
out  of  the  farther  West  of  England,  we  saw  a  woman 
beating  a  child,  who  screamed,  " Don't  beat  me!  O 
mother,  mother,  mother ! "  Then  my  wife  stopped  her 
ears,  and  ran  away  like  a  wild  thing,  and  next  day  she 
was  found  in  the  river. 

Me  and  my  dog  were  all  the  company  left  in  the  cart 
now;  and  the  dog  learned  to  give  a  short  bark  when 
they  wouldn't  bid,  and  to  give  another  and  a  nod  of  his 
head  when  I  asked  him,  "Who  said  half  a  crown?  Are 
you  the  gentleman,  sir,  that  offered  half  a  crown  ?  "  He 
attained  to  an  immense  height  of  popularity,  and  I  shall 


DOCTOR  MARIGOLD'S   PRESCRIPTIONS.  177 

always  believe  taught  himself  entirely  out  of  his  own 
head  to  growl  at  any  person  in  the  crowd  that  bid  as  low 
as  sixpence.  But  he  got  to  be  well  on  in  years,  and  one 
night  when  I  was  conwulsing  York  with  the  spectacles, 
he  took  a  conwulsion  on  his  own  account  upon  the  very 
footboard  by  me,  and  it  finished  him. 

Being  naturally  of  a  tender  turn,  I  had  dreadful  lonely 
feelings  on  me  arter  this.  I  conquered  'em  at  selling 
times,  having  a  reputation  to  keep  (not  to  mention  keep- 
ing myself),  but  they  got  me  down  in  private,  and  rolled 
upon  me.  That's  often  the  way  with  us  public  char- 
acters. See  us  on  the  footboard,  and  you'd  give  ^tty 
well  anything  you  possess  to  be  us.  See  us  off  the  foot- 
board, and  you'd  add  a  trifle  to  be  off  your  bargain.  It 
was  under  those  circumstances  that  I  come  acquainted 
with  a  giant.  I  might  have  been  too  high  to  fall  into 
conversation  with  him,  had  it  not  been  for  my  lonely 
feelings.  For  the  general  rule  is,  going  round  the  coun- 
try, to  draw  the  line  at  dressing  up.  When  a  man  can't 
trust  his  getting  a  living  to  his  undisguised  abilities,  you 
consider  him  below  your  sort.  And  this  giant  when  on 
view  figured  as  a  Boman. 

He  was  a  languid  young  man,  which  I  attribute  to  the 
distance  betwixt  his  extremities.  He  had  a  little  head 
and  less  in  it,  he  had  weak  eyes  and  weak  knees,  and  al- 
together you  couldn't  look  at  him  without  feeling  that 
there  was  greatly  too  much  of  him  both  for  his  joints 
and  his  mind.  But  he  was  an  amiable  though  timid 
young  man  (his  mother  let  him  out,  and  spent  the  money), 


178  DOCTOR  MARIGOLD'S   PRESCRIPTIONS. 

and  we  come  acquainted  when  he  was  walking  to  ease 
the  horse  betwixt  two  fairs.  He  was  called  Rinaldo  di 
Yelasco,  his  name  being  Pickleson. 

This  giant,  otherwise  Pickleson,  mentioned  to  me 
under  the  seal  of  confidence  that,  beyond  his  being  a 
burden  to  himself,  his  life  was  made  a  burden  to  him  by 
the  cruelty  of  his  master  toward  a  stepdaughter  who  was 
deaf  and  dumb.  Her  mother  was  dead,  and  she  had  no 
living  soul  to  take  her  part,  and  was  used  most  hard. 
She  travelled  with  his  master's  caravan  only  because 
there  was  nowhere  to  leave  her,  and  this  giant,  otherwise 
Pickleson,  did  go  so  far  as  to  believe  that  his  master  often 
tried  to  lose  her.  He  was  such  a  very  languid  young 
man,  that  I  don't  know  how  long  it  didn't  take  him  to 
get  this  story  out,  but  it  passed  through  his  defective 
circulation  to  his  top  extremity  in  course  of  time. 

When  I  heard  this  account  from  the  giant,  otherwise 
Pickleson,  and  likewise  that  the  poor  girl  had  beautiful 
long  dark  hair,  and  was  often  pulled  down  by  it  and 
beaten,  I  couldn't  see  the  giant  through  what  stood  in  my 
eyes.  His  master's  name  was  Mini,  a  wery  hoarse  man, 
and  I  knew  him  to  speak  to.  I  went  to  that  Fair  as  a 
mere  civilian,  leaving  the  cart  outside  the  town,  and  I 
looked  about  the  beck  of  the  Vans  while  the  performing 
was  going  on,  and  at  last,  sitting  dozing  against  a  muddy 
cart-wheel,  I  come  upon  the  poor  girl  who  was  deaf  and 
dumb.  At  the  first  look  I  might  almost  have  judged 
that  she  had  escaped  from  the  Wild  Beast  Show ;  but  at 
the  second  I  thought  better  of  her,  and  thought  that  if 


DOCTOR  MARIGOLD'S   PRESCRIPTIONS,  170 

she  was  more  cared  for  arid  more  kindly  used  she  would 
be  like  my  child.  She  was  just  the  same  age  that  my 
own  daughter  would  have  been,  if  her  pretty  head  had 
not  fell  down  upon  my  shoulder  that  unfortunate  night. 

To  cut  it  short,  I  spoke  confidential  to  Mim  while  he 
was  beating  the  gong  outside  betwixt  two  lots  of  Pickle- 
son's  publics,  and  I  put  it  to  him,  "She  lies  heavy  on 
your  own  hands;  what'll  you  take  for  her?"  Mim  was 
a  most  ferocious  swearer.  Suppressing  that  parfc  of  his 
reply  which  was  much  the  longest  part,  his  reply  was, 
"A  pair  of  braces."  "Now  I'll  tell  you,"  says  I,  "what 
I'm  a  going  to  do  with  you.  I'm  a  going  to  fetch  you 
haif-a-dozen  pair  of  the  primest  braces  in  the  cart,  and 
then  to  take  her  away  with  me."  Says  Mim  (again 
ferocious),  "I'll  believe  it  when  I've  got  the  goods,  and 
no  sooner. "  I  made  all  the  haste  I  could,  lest  he  should 
think  twice  of  it,  and  the  bargain  was  completed. 

It  was  happy  days  for  both  of  us  when  Sophy  and 
me  began  to  travel  in  the  cart.  I  at  once  give  her  the 
name  of  Sophy,  to  put  her  ever  toward  me  in  the  atti- 
tude of  my  own  daughter.  We  soon  made  out  to  begin 
to  understand  one  another,  through  the  goodness  of  the 
Heavens,  when  she  knowed  that  I  meant  true  and  kind 
by  her.  In  a  very  little  time  she  was  wonderful  fond  of 
me.  You  have  no  idea  what  it  is  to  have  anybody 
wonderful  fond  of  you,  unless  you  have  been  got  down 
and  rolled  upon  by  the  lonely  feelings  that  I  have  men- 
tioned as  having  once  got  the  better  of  me. 

You'd  have  laughed — or  the  rewerse — it's  according 


180 


DOCTOR  MARIGOLD'S   PRESCRIPTIONS 


to  your  disposition — if  you  could  have  seen  me  trying  to 
teach  Sophy.  At  first  I  was  helped — you'd  never  guess 
by  what — milestones.  I  got  some  large  alphabets  in  a 
box,  all  the  letters  separate  on  bits  of  bone,  and  saying 
we  was  going  to  Windsor,  I  give  her  those  letters  in 
that  order,  and  then  at  every  milestone  I  showed  her 
those  same  letters  in 
that  same  order  again, 
and  pointed  toward 
the  abode  of  royalty. 
Another  time  I  give 
her  CART,  and  then 
chalked  the  same 
upon  the  cart.  An- 
other time  I  give  her 
DOCTOR  MARI- 
GOLD, and  hung  a 
corresponding  in- 
scription outside  my 
waistcoat.  People 
that  met  us  might 
stare  a  bit  and  laugh, 
but  what  did  I  care, 
if  she  caught  the  idea  f  She  caught  it  after  long  patience 
and  trouble,  and  then  we  did  begin  to  get  on  swimmingly, 
I  believe  you !  At  first  she  was  a  little  given  to  con- 
sider me  the  cart,  and  the  cart  the  abode  of  royalty,  but 
that  soon  wore  off. 

We  had  our  signs,  too,  and  they  was  hundreds  in 


DOCTOR   MARIGOLD'S   PRESCRIPTIONS.  181 

number.  Sometimes  she  would  sit  looking  at  me  and 
considering  hard  how  to  communicate  with  me  about 
something  fresh — how  to  ask  me  what  she  wanted  ex- 
plained, —  and  then  she  was  (or  I  thought  she  was)  so 
like  my  child  with  those  years  added  to  her,  that  I  half - 
believed  it  was  herself,  trying  to  tell  me  where  she  had 
been  to  up  in  the  skies,  and  what  she  had  seen  since 
that  unhappy  night  when  she  flied  away.  She  had  a 
pretty  face,  and  now  that  there  was  no  one  to  drag  at 
her  bright  dark  hair,  and  it  was  all  in  order,  there  was 
a  something  touching  in  her  looks  that  made  the  cart 
most  peaceful  and  most  quiet,  though  not  at  all  melan- 
choly. 

The  way  she  learnt  to  understand  any  look  of  mine 
was  truly  surprising.  When  I  sold  of  a  night,  she  would 
sit  in  the  cart  unseen  by  them  outside,  and  would  give  a 
eager  look  into  my  eyes  when  I  looked  in,  and  would 
hand  me  straight  the  precise  article  or  articles  I  wanted. 
And  then  she  would  clap  her  hands,  and  laugh  for  joy. 
And  as  for  me,  seeing  her  so  bright,  and  remembering 
what  she  was  when  I  first  lighted  on  her,  starved  and 
beaten  and  ragged,  leaning  asleep  against  the  muddy 
cart-wheel,  it  give  me  such  heart  that  I  gained  a  greater 
heighth  of  reputation  than  ever,  and  I  put  Pickleson 
down  for  a  fypunnote  in  my  will. 

This  happiness  went  on  in  the  cart  till  she  was  sixteen 
year  old.  By  which  time  I  began  to  feel  not  satisfied 
that  I  had  done  my  whole  duty  by  her,  and  to  consider 
that  she  ought  to  have  better  teaching  than  I  could  give 


182 


doctor  marigold's  prescriptions. 


her.  It  drew  a  many  tears  on  both  sides  when  I  com- 
menced explaining  my  views  to  her ;  but  what's  right  is 
right,  and  yon  can't  neither  by  tears  nor  laughter  do 
away  with  its  character. 


So  I  took  her  hand  in  mine,  and  I  went  with  her  one 
day  to  the  Deaf  and  Dumb  Establishment  in  London, 
and  when  the  gentleman  come  to  speak  to  us,  I  says  to 
him:  "Now  I'll  tell  you  what  I'll  do  with  you,  sir.     I 


He  Saw  Her  Listening  to  Him  ! "    Page  82. 


wM 


DOCTOR  MARIGOLD'S  PRESCRIPTIONS.  183 

am  nothing  but  a  Cheap  Jack,  but  of  late  years  I  have 
laid  by  for  a  rainy  day  notwithstanding.  This  is  my 
only  daughter  (adopted),  and  you  can't  produce  a  deaf er 
nor  a  dumber.  Teach  her  the  most  that  can  be  taught 
her  in  the  shortest  separation  that  can  be  named, — state 
the  figure  for  it,  — and  I  am  game  to  put  the  money  down. 
I  won't  bate  you  a  single  farthing,  sir,  but  I'll  put  down 
the  money  here  and  now,  and  I'll  thankfully  throw  you 
in  a  pound  to  take  it.  There !  "  The  gentleman  smiled, 
and  then,  "Well,  well,"  says  he,  "I  must  first  know 
what  she  has  learned  already.  How  do  you  communicate 
with  her  !  "  Then  I  showed  him,  and  she  wrote  in  printed 
writing  many  names  of  things  and  so  forth ;  and  we  held 
some  sprightly  conversation,  Sophy  and  me,  about  a 
little  story  in  a  book  which  the  gentleman  showed  her, 
and  which  she  was  able  to  read.  "This  is  most  extraor- 
dinary, "  says  the  gentleman;  "is  it  possible  that  you 
have  been  her  only  teacher !  "  "I  have  been  her  only 
teacher,  sir,"  I  says,  "besides  herself."  "Then,"  says 
the  gentleman,  and  more  acceptable  words  was  never 
spoke  to  me,  "you're  a  clever  fellow,  and  a  good  fellow." 
This  he  makes  known  to  Sophy,  who  kisses  his  hands, 
claps  her  own,  and  laughs  and  cries  upon  it. 

We  saw  the  gentleman  four  times  in  all,  and  when  he 
took  down  my  name  and  asked  how  in  the  world  it  ever 
chanced  to  be  Doctor,  it  come  out  that  he  was  own 
nephew  by  the  sister's  side,  if  you'll  believe  me,  to  the 
very  Doctor  that  I  was  called  after.  This  made  our 
footing  still  easier,  and  he  says  to  me: 


184  DOCTOR   MARIGOLD'S   PRESCRIPTION'S. 

"Now,  Marigold,  tell  me  what  more  do  you  want  your 
adopted  daughter  to  kuow  !  " 

"I  want  her,  sir,  to  be  cut  off  from  the  world  as  little 
as  can  be,  considering  her  deprivations,  and  therefore  to 
be  able  to  read  whatever  is  wrote  with  perfect  ease  and 
pleasure. " 

"My  good  fellow, "  urges  the  gentleman,  opening  his 
eyes  wide,  "why  I  can't  do  that  myself!  " 

I  took  his  joke,  and  gave  him  a  laugh  and  I  mended 
my  words  accordingly. 

"What  do  you  mean  to  do  with  her  afterward?  "  asks 
the  gentleman,  with  a  sort  of  a  doubtful  eye.  "To  take 
her  about  the  country  1 " 

"In  the  cart,  sir,  but  only  in  the  cart.  She  will  live  a 
private  life,  you  understand,  in  the  cart.  I  should  never 
think  of  bringing  her  infirmities  before  the  public.  I 
wouldn't  make  a  show  of  her  for  any  money." 

The  gentleman  nodded,  and  seemed  to  approve. 

"Well,"  says  he,  "can  you  part  with  her  for  two 
years  f  " 

"  To  do  her  that  good — yes,  sir. " 

"There's  another  question,"  says  the  gentleman,  look- 
ing toward  her,  — "  can  she  part  with  you  for  two 
years?" 

I  don't  know  that  it  was  a  harder  matter  of  itself  (for 
the  other  was  hard  enough  to  me),  but  it  was  harder  to 
get  over.  However,  she  was  pacified  to  it  at  last,  and 
the  separation  betwixt  us  was  settled.  How  it  cut  up 
both  of  us  when  it  took  place,  and  when  I  left  her  at 


DOCTOR   MARIGOLD'S   PRESCRIPTIONS.  185 

the  door  in  the  dark  of  an  evening,  I  don't  tell.  But 
I  know  this;  remembering  that  night,  I  shall  never 
pass  that  same  establishment  without  a  heartache  and  a 
swelling  in  the  throat ;  and  I  couldn't  put  you  up  the 
best  of  lots  in  sight  of  it  with  my  usual  spirit, — no,  not 
even  the  gun,  nor  the  pair  of  spectacles, — for  five  hun- 
dred pound  reward  from  the  Secretary  of  State  for  the 
Home  Department,  and  throw  in  the  honor  of  putting 
my  legs  under  his  mahogany  arterward. 

Still,  the  loneliness  that  followed  in  the  cart  was  not 
the  old  loneliness,  because  there  was  a  term  put  to  it, 
however  long  to  look  forward  to ;  and  because  I  could 
think,  when  I  was  anyways  down,  that  she  belonged  to 
me  and  I  belonged  to  her.  Always  planning  for  her 
coming  back,  I  bought  in  a  few  months'  time  another 
cart,  and  what  do  you  think  I  planned  to  do  with  it? 
I'll  tell  you.  I  planned  to  fit  it  up  with  shelves  and 
books  for  her  reading,  and  to  have  a  seat  in  it  where  I 
could  sit  and  see  her  read,  and  think  that  I  had  been  her 
first  teacher.  Not  hurrying  over  the  job,  I  had  the  fit- 
tings knocked  together  in  contriving  ways  under  my  own 
inspection,  and  here  was  her  bed  in  a  berth  with  curtains, 
and  there  was  her  reading-table,  and  here  was  her  writ- 
ing-desk, and  elsewhere  was  her  books  in  rows  upon  rows, 
picters  and  no  picters,  bindings  and  no  bindings,  gilt- 
edged  and  plain,  just  as  I  could  pick  'em  up  for  her  in 
lots  up  and  down  the  country.  And  when  I  had  got  to- 
gether pretty  well  as  many  books  as  the  cart  would  neatly 
hold,  a  new  scheme  come  into  my  head,  which,  as  it 


V 


186         DOCTOR  marigold's  prescriptions. 

turned  out,  kept  my  time  and  attention  a  good  deal  em- 
ployed, and  helped  me  over  the  two  years'  stile. 

Without  being  of  an  awaricious  temper,  I  like  to  be 
the  owner  of  things.  I  shouldn't  wish,  for  instance, 
to  go  partners  with  yourself  in  the  Cheap  Jack  cart. 
Well!  A  kind  of  a  jealousy  began  to  creep  into  my 
mind  when  I  reflected  that  all  those  books  would  have 
been  read  by  other  people  long  before  they  was  read 
by  her.  It  seemed  to  take  away  from  her  being  the 
owner  of  'em  like.  In  this  way,  the  question  got  into 
my  head:  Couldn't  I  have  a  book  new-made  express  for 
her,  which  she  should  be  the  first  to  read  f 

It  pleased  me,  that  thought  did ;  and  as  I  never  was  a 
man  to  let  a  thought  sleep  (you  must  wake  up  all  the 
whole  family  of  thoughts  you've  got  and  burn  their 
nightcaps,  or  you  won't  do  in  the  Cheap  Jack  line),  I 
set  to  work  at  it.  Considering  that  I  was  in  the  habit  of 
changing  so  much  about  the  country,  and  that  I  should 
have  to  find  out  a  literary  character  here  to  make  a  deal 
with,  and  another  literary  character  there  to  make  a  deal 
with,  as  opportunities  presented,  I  hit  on  the  plan  that 
this  same  book  should  be  a  general  miscellaneous  lot, — 
like  the  razors,  flat-iron,  chronometer  watch,  dinner 
plates,  rolling-pin,  and  looking-glass, — and  shouldn't  be 
offered  as  a  single  indiwidual  article,  like  the  spectacles 
or  the  gun.  When  I  had  come  to  that  conclusion,  I 
come  to  another,  which  shall  likewise  be  yours. 

Often  had  I  regretted  that  she  never  had  heard  me  on 
the  footboard,  and  that  she  never  could  hear  me.     It 


DOCTOR   MARIGOLD'S   PRESCRIPTIONS.  1S7 

ain't  that  Jam  vain,  but  that  you  don't  like  to  put  your 
own  light  under  a  bushel.  What's  the  worth  of  your 
reputation,  if  you  can't  convey  the  reason  for  it  to  the 
person  you  most  wish  to  value  it  f  Not  worth  a  farthing. 
Very  well,  then.  My  conclusion  was  that  I  would  begin 
her  book  with  some  account  of  myself.  So  that,  through 
reading  a  specimen  or  two  of  me  on  the  footboard,  she 
might  form  an  idea  of  my  merits  there. 

Well !  Having  formed  that  resolution,  then  come  the 
question  of  a  name.  How  did  I  hammer  that  hot  iron 
into  shape1?  This  way.  The  most  difficult  explanation 
I  had  ever  had  with  her  was,  how  I  come  to  be  called 
Doctor,  and  yet  was  no  Doctor.  After  all,  I  felt  that  I 
had  failed  of  getting  it  correctly  into  her  mind,  with  my 
utmost  pains.  But  trusting  to  her  improvement  in  the 
two  years,  I  thought  that  I  might  trust  to  her  under- 
standing it  when  she  should  come  to  read  it  as  put  down 
by  my  own  hand.  Then  I  thought  I  would  try  a  joke 
with  her  and  watch  how  it  took,  by  which  of  itself  I 
might  fully  judge  of  her  understanding  it.  We  had  first 
discovered  the  mistake  we  had  dropped  into,  through 
her  having  asked  me  to  prescribe  for  her  when  she  had 
supposed  me  to  be  a  Doctor  in  a  medical  point  of  view ; 
so  thinks  I,  "Now,  if  I  give  this  book  the  name  of  my 
Prescriptions,  and  if  she  catches  the  idea  that  my  only 
Prescriptions  are  for  her  amusement  and  interest, — to 
make  her  laugh  in  a  pleasant  way,  or  to  make  her  cry 
in  a  pleasant  way, — it  will  be  a  delightful  proof  to  both 
of  us  that  we  have  got  over  our  difficulty. "     It  fell  out 


188 


DOCTOR   MARIGOLD'S   PRESCRIPTIONS. 


to  absolute  perfection.  For  when  she  saw  the  book,  as 
I  had  it  got  up,  — the  printed  and  pressed  book,  — lying 
on  her  desk  in  her  cart,  and  saw  the  title,  Dr.  Mari- 
gold's Prescriptions,  she  looked  at  me  for  a  moment 
with  astonishment,  then  fluttered  the  leaves,  then  broke 
out  a  laughing  in  the  charmingest  way,  then  felt  her 
pulse  and  shook  her  head,  then  turned  the  pages  pre- 
tending to  read  them  most  attentive,  then  kissed  the 
book  to  me,  and  put 
it  to  her  bosom  with 
both  her  hands.  I 
never  was  better 
pleased  in  all  my 
life! 

But  let  me  not  an- 
ticipate. (I  take  that 
expression  out  of  a 
lot  of  romances  I 
bought  for  her.  I 
never  opened  a  single 
one  of  'em — and  I 
have  opened  many — 
but  I  found  the  ro- 
mancer saying  "let 
me  not  anticipate. " 
Which    being    so,    I 

wonder  why  he  did  anticipate,  or  who  asked  him  to  do 
it.)  Let  me  not,  I  say,  anticipate.  This  same  book 
took  up  all  my  spare  time.     It  was  no  play  to  get  the 


DOCTOR  MARIGOLD'S   PRESCRIPTIONS.  189 

other  articles  together  in  the  general  miscellaneous  lot, 
but  when  it  come  to  my  own  article !  There !  I 
couldn't  have  believed  the  blotting,  nor  yet  the  buck- 
ling to  at  it,  nor  the  patience  over  it.  Which  again 
is  like  the  footboard.     The  public  have  no  idea. 

At  last  it  was  done,  and  the  two  years'  time  was  gone. 
The  new  cart  was  finished, — yellow  outside,  relieved 
with  wermilion  and  brass  fittings, — the  old  horse  was 
put  in  it,  a  new  'un  and  a  boy  being  laid  on  for  the 
Cheap  Jack  cart, — and  I  cleaned  myself  up  to  go  and 
fetch  her.  Bright  cold  weather  it  was,  cart-chimneys 
smoking,  carts  pitched  private  on  a  piece  of  waste 
ground  over  at  Wandsworth,  where  you  may  see  'em 
from  the  Sou'western  Railway  when  not  upon  the 
road. 

"Marigold,"  says  the  gentleman,  giving  his  hand 
hearty,  "  I  am  very  glad  to  see  you. " 

"Yet  I  have  my  doubts,  sir/'  says  I,  "if  you  can  be 
half  as  glad  to  see  me  as  I  am  to  see  you." 

"The  time  has  appeared  so  long, — has  it,  Marigold?  " 

"I  won't  say  that,  sir,  considering  its  real  length; 
but » 

"What  a  start,  my  good  fellow! " 

Ah !  I  should  think  it  was !  Grown  such  a  woman, 
so  pretty,  so  intelligent,  so  expressive!  I  knew  then 
that  she  must  be  really  like  my  child,  or  I  could  never 
have  known  her,  standing  quiet  by  the  door. 

"You  are  affected,"  says  the  gentleman  in  a  kindly 
manner. 


190         DOCTOR  marigold's  prescriptions. 

"I  feel,  sir,"  says  I,  "that  I  ara  but  a  rough  chap  in  a 
sleeved  waistcoat. " 

"I  feel,"  says  the  gentleman,  "that  it  was  you  who 
raised  her  from  misery  and  degradation,  and  brought 
her  into  communication  with  her  kind.  But  why  do  we 
converse  alone  together,  when  we  can  converse  so  well 
with  her !     Address  her  in  your  own  way. " 

"I  am  such  a  rough  chap  in  a  sleeved  waistcoat,  sir," 
says  I,  "and  she  is  such  a  graceful  woman,  and  she 
stands  so  quiet  at  the  door !  " 

"Try  if  she  moves  at  the  old  sign,"  says  the  gentleman. 

They  had  got  it  up  together  o'  purpose  to  please  me! 
For  when  I  give  her  the  old  sign,  she  rushed  to  my  feet, 
and  dropped  upon  her  knees,  holding  up  her  hands  to 
me  with  pouring  tears  of  love  and  joy;  and  when  I  took 
her  hands  and  lifted  her,  she  clasped  me  round  the  neck, 
and  lay  there;  and  I  don't  know  what  a  fool  I  didn't 
make  of  myself,  until  we  all  three  settled  down  into 
talking  without  sound,  as  if  there  was  a  something  soft 
and  pleasant  spread  over  the  whole  world  for  us. 


CHAPTEE  II. 

TO  BE  TAKEN   FOR   LIFE. 

So  every  item  of  my  plan  was  crowned  with  success. 
Our  reunited  life  was  more  than  all  that  we  had  looked 
forward  to.     Content  and  joy  went  with  us  as  the  wheels 


DOCTOR   MARIGOLD'S   PRESCRIPTIONS.  191 

of  the  two  carts  went  round,  and  the  same  stopped  with 
us  when  the  two  carts  stopped.  I  was  as  pleased  and  as 
proud  as  a  Pug-Dog  with  his  muzzle  black-leaded  for  a 
evening  party,  and  his  tail  extra  curled  by  machinery. 

But  I  had  left  something  out  of  my  calculations. 

We  were  down  at  Lancaster,  and  I  had  done  two 
nights  more  than  fair  average  business  in  the  open 
square  there,  near  the  end  of  the  street  where  Mr.  Sly's 
King's  Arms  and  Eoyal  Hotel  stands.  Mim's  travelling 
giant,  otherwise  Pickleson,  happened  at  the  self-same 
time  to  be  trying  it  on  in  the  town. 

I  went  to  the  Auction  Boom,  and  I  found  it  entirely 
empty  of  everything  but  echoes  and  mouldiness,  with 
the  single  exception  of  Pickleson  on  a  piece  of  red 
drugget.  This  suited  my  purpose,  as  I  wanted  a 
private  and  confidential  word  with  him,  which  was: 
"Pickleson.  Owing  much  happiness  to  you,  I  put  you 
in  my  will  for  a  fypunnote ;  but,  to  save  trouble,  here's 
fourpunten  down,  which  may  equally  suit  your  views, 
and  let  us  so  conclude  the  transaction. "  Pickleson,  who 
up  to  that  remark  had  had  the  dejected  appearance  of  a 
long  Boman  rushlight  that  couldn't  anyhow  get  lighted, 
brightened  up  at  his  top  extremity,  and  made  his  ac- 
knowledgments in  a  way  which  (for  him)  was  parlia- 
mentary eloquence.  He  likewise  did  add,  that,  having 
ceased  to  draw  as  a  Boman,  Mim  had  made  proposals  for 
his  going  in  as  a  conwerted  Indian  Giant  worked  upon 
by  The  Dairyman's  Daughter. 

But  what  was  to  the  present  point  in  the  remarks  of 


192  DOCTOR  MARIGOLD'S  PRESCRIPTIONS. 

tile  travelling  giant,  otherwise  Pickleson,  was  this: 
"Doctor  Marigold,  who  is  the  strange  young  man  that 
hangs  about  your  carts'?" — " The  strange  young* man t n 
I  gives  him  back,  thinking  that  he  meant  her,  and  his 
languid  circulatitn  had  dropped  a  syllable.  "Doctor," 
he  returns,  with  a  pathos  calculated  to  draw  a  tear  from 
even  a  manly  eye,  "I  am  weak,  but  not  so  weak  yet  as 
that  I  don't  know  my  words.  I  repeat  them,  Doctor. 
The  strange  young  man. " 

It  put  me  rather  out  of  sorts.  What  it  meant  as  to 
particulars  I  no  more  foreboded  then  than  you  forebode 
now,  but  it  put  me  rather  out  of  sorts.  Howsoever,  I 
made  light  of  it,  and  I  took  leave  of  Pickleson,  advising 
him  to  spend  his  legacy  in  getting  up  his  stamina,  and 
to  continue  to  stand  by  his  religion.  Toward  morning  I 
kept  a  lookout  for  the  strange  young  man,  and — what 
was  more — I  saw  the  strange  young  man.  He  was  well- 
dressed  and  well -looking.  He  loitered  very  nigh  my 
carts,  watching  them  like  as  if  he  was  taking  care  of 
them,  and  soon  after  daybreak  turned  and  went  away. 
I  sent  a  hail  after  him,  but  he  never  started  or  looked 
round,  or  took  the  smallest  notice. 

"We  left  Lancaster  within  an  hour  or  two,  on  our  way 
toward  Carlisle.  Xext  morning,  at  daybreak,  I  looked 
out  again  for  the  strange  young  man.  I  did  not  see  him. 
But  next  morning  I  looked  out  again,  and  there  he  was 
once  more.  I  sent  another  hail  after  him,  but  as  before 
he  gave  not  the  slightest  sign  of  being  anyways  disturbed. 
This  put  a  thought  into  my  head.     Acting  on  it  I  watched 


DOCTOR   MARIGOLD'S   PRESCRIPTIONS.  193 

him  in  different  manners  and  at  different  times  not  neces- 
sary to  enter  into,  till  I  found  that  this  strange  young 
man  was  deaf  and  dumb. 

The  discovery  turned  me  over,  because  I  knew  that  a 
part  of  that  establishment  where  she  had  been  was  al- 
lotted to  young  men  (some  of  them  well  off),  and  I 
thought  to  myself,  "If  she  favors  him,  where  am  I?  and 
where  is  all  that  I  have  worked  and  planned  for?" 
Hoping — I  must  confess  to  the  selfishness — that  she 
might  not  favor  him,  I  set  myself  to  find  out.  At  last 
I  was  by  accident  present  at  a  meeting  between  them  in 
the  open  air,  looking  on  leaning  behind  a  fir-tree  without 
their  knowing  of  it.  It  was  a  moving  meeting  for  all 
the  three  parties  concerned.  I  knew  every  syllable  that 
passed  between  them  as  well  as  they  did.  I  listened 
with  my  eyes,  which  had  come  to  be  as  quick  aud  true 
with  deaf  and  dumb  conversation  as  my  ears  with  the 
talk  of  people  that  can  speak.  He  was  a  going  out  to 
China  as  clerk  in  a  merchant's  house,  which  his  father 
had  been  before  him.  He  was  in  circumstances  to  keep 
a  wife,  and  he  wanted  her  to  marry  him  and  go  along 
with  him.  She  persisted,  no.  He  asked  if  she  didn't 
love  him.  Yes,  she  loved  him  dearly,  dearly;  but  she 
could  never  disappoint  her  beloved,  good,  noble,  gener- 
ous, and  I-don't-know-what-all  father  (meaning  me,  the 
Cheap  Jack  in  the  sleeved  waistcoat),  and  she  would  stay 
with  him,  Heaven  bless  him !  though  it  was  to  break  her 
heart.  Then  she  cried  most  bitterly,  and  that  made  up 
my  mind. 


194         doctor  marigold's  prescriptions^ 

While  my  mind  had  been  in  an  unsettled  state  about 
her  favoring  this  young  man,  I  had  felt  that  unreasonable 
toward  Pickleson,  that  it  was  well  for  him  he  had  got  his 
legacy  down.  For  I  often  thought,  "If  it  hadn't  been 
for  this  same  weak-minded  giant,  I  might  never  have 
come  to  trouble  my  head  and  wex  my  soul  about  the 
young  man."  But,  once  that  I  knew  she  loved  him, — 
once  that  I  had  seen  her  weep  for  him, — it  was  a  differ- 
ent thing.  I  made  it  right  in  my  mind  with  Pickleson 
on  the  spot,  and  I  shook  myself  together  to  do  what  was 
right  by  all. 

She  had  left  the  young  man  by  that  time  (for  it  took 
a  few  minutes  to  get  me  thoroughly  well  shook  together), 
and  the  young  man  was  leaning  against  another  of  the 
fir-trees, — of  which  there  was  a  cluster, — with  his  face 
upon  his  arm.  I  touched  him  on  the  back.  Looking  up 
and  seeing  me,  he  says,  in  our  deaf-and-dumb  talk,  "Do 
not  be  angry. " 

"  I  am  not  angry,  good  boy.  I  am  your  friend.  Come 
with  me." 

I  left  him  at  the  foot  of  the  steps  of  the  Library  Cart, 
and  I  went  up  alone.     She  was  drying  her  eyes. 

"You  have  been  crying,  my  dear." 

"Yes,  father." 

"Why?" 

"A  headache." 

"Not  a  heartache?" 

"I  said  a  headache,  father." 

"Doctor  Marigold  must  prescribe  for  that  headache." 


DOCTOR   MARIGOLD'S   PRESCRIPTIONS.  195 

She  took  up  the  book  of  my  Prescriptions,  and  held  it 
up  with  a  forced  smile ;  but  seeing  me  keep  still  and 
look  earnest,  she  softly  laid  it  down  again,  and  her  eyes 
were  very  attentive. 

"The  Prescription  is  not  there,  Sophy." 

"Where  is  it?" 

"Here,  my  dear." 

I  brought  her  young  husband  in,  and  I  put  her  hand 
in  his,  and  my  only  farther  words  to  both  of  them  were 
these:  "Doctor  Marigold's  last  Prescription.  To  be 
taken  for  life."     After  which  I  bolted. 

When  the  wedding  come  off,  I  mounted  a  coat  (blue, 
and  bright  buttons),  for  the  first  and  last  time  in  all  my 
days,  and  I  give  Sophy  away  with  my  own  hand.  There 
were  only  us  three  and  the  gentleman  who  had  had 
charge  of  her  for  those  two  years.  I  give  the  wedding 
dinner  of  four  in  the  Library  Cart.  Pigeon-pie,  a  leg  of 
pickled  pork,  a  pair  of  fowls,  and  suitable  garden  stuff. 
The  best  of  drinks.  I  give  them  a  speech,  and  the 
gentleman  give  us  a  speech,  and  all  our  jokes  told,  and 
the  Avhole  wrent  off  like  a  sky-rocket.  In  the  course  of 
the  entertaiument  I  explained  to  Sophy  that  I  should 
keep  the  Library  Cart  as  my  living-cart  when  not  upon 
the  road,  and  that  I  should  keep  all  her  books  for  her 
just  as  they  stood,  till  she  come  back  to  claim  them.  So 
she  went  to  China  with  her  young  husband,  and  it  was  a 
parting  sorrowful  and  heavy,  and  I  got  the  boy  I  had 
another  service;  and  so  as  of  old,  when  my  child 
and  wife  were    gone,    I  wrent   plodding  along    alone, 


196  DOCTOR   MARIGOLD'S   PRESCRIPTIONS. 

with  my  whip  over  my   shoulder,   at  the  old  horse's 
head. 

Sophy  wrote  me  many  letters,  and  I  wrote  her  many 
letters.  About  the  end  of  the  first  year  she  sent  me  one 
in  an  unsteady  hand:  " Dearest  father,  not  a  week  ago  I 
had  a  darling  little  daughter,  but  I  am  so  well  that  they 
let  me  write  these  words  to  you.  Dearest  and  best 
father,  I  hope  my  child  may  not  be  deaf  and  dumb,  but 
I  do  not  yet  know. "  When  I  wrote  back,  I  hinted  the 
question ;  but  as  Sophy  never  answered  that  question,  I 
felt  it  to  be  a  sad  one,  and  I  never  repeated  it.  For  a 
long  time  our  letters  were  regular,  but  then  they  got 
irregular,  through  Sophy's  husband  being  moved  to  an- 
other station,  and  through  my  being  always  on  the  move. 
But  we  were  in  one  another's  thoughts,  I  was  equally 
sure,  letters  or  no  letters. 

Five  years,  odd  months,  had  gone  since  Sophy  went 
away.  I  was  still  the  King  of  the  Cheap  Jacks,  and  at 
a  greater  height  of  popularity  than  ever.  I  had  had  a 
first-rate  autumn  of  it,  and  on  the  twenty-third  of  De- 
cember, one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  sixty-four,  I 
found  myself  at  "Oxbridge,  Middlesex,  clean  sold  out. 
So  I  jogged  up  to  London  with  the  old  horse,  light  and 
easy,  to  have  my  Christmas-eve  and  Christmas-day  alone 
by  the  fire  in  the  Library  Cart,  and  then  to  buy  a  regular 
new  stock  of  goods  all  round,  to  sell  'em  again  and  get 
the  money. 

I  am  a  neat  hand  at  cookery,  and  I'll  tell  you  what  I 
knocked  up  for  my  Christmas-eve  dinner  in  the  Library 


DOCTOR  MARIGOLD'S   PRESCRIPTIONS.  197 

Cart.  I  knocked  up  a  beefsteak-pudding  for  one,  with 
two  kidneys,  a  dozen  oysters,  and  a  couple  of  mushrooms 
thrown  in.  It's  a  pudding  to  put  a  man  in  good  humor 
with  everything,  except  the  two  bottom  buttons  of  his 
waistcoat.  Having  relished  that  pudding  and  cleared 
away,  I  turned  the  lamp  low,  and  sat  down  by  the  light 
of  the  fire,  watching  it  as  it  shone  upon  the  backs  of 
Sophy's  books. 

Sophy's  books  so  brought  up  Sophy's  self,  that  I  saw 
her  touching  face  quite  plainly,  before  I  dropped  off 
dozing  by  the  fire.  This  may  be  a  reason  why  Sophy, 
with  her  deaf-and-dumb  child  in  her  arms,  seemed  to 
stand  silent  by  me  all  through  my  nap.  I  was  on  the 
road,  off  the  road,  in  all  sorts  of  places,  and  still  she 
stood  silent  by  me,  with  her  silent  child  in  her  arms. 
Even  when  I  woke  with  a  start,  she  seemed  to  vanish, 
as  if  she  had  stood  by  me  in  that  very  place  only  a  single 
instant  before. 

I  had  started  at  a  real  sound,  and  the  sound  was  on 
the  steps  of  the  cart.  It  was  the  light  hurried  tread  of 
a  child,  coming  clambering  up.  That  tread  of  a  child 
had  once  been  so  familiar  to  me,  that  for  half  a  moment 
I  believed  I  was  a  going  to  see  a  little  ghost. 

But  the  touch  of  a  real  child  was  laid  upon  the  outer 
handle  of  the  door,  and  the  handle  turned,  and  the  door 
opened  a  little  way,  and  a  real  child  peeped  in.  A 
bright  little  comely  girl  with  large  dark  eyes. 

Looking  full  at  me,  the  tiny  creature  took  off  her  mite 
of  a  straw  hat,  and  a  quantity  of  dark  curls  fell  all  about 


193  DOCTOR   MARIGOLD'S   PRESCRIPTIONS. 

her  face.  Then  she  opened  her  lips,  and  said  in  a  pretty 
voice, 

"  Grandfather!" 

"Ah,  my  God! "  I  cries  out.     "She  can  speak! " 

"  Yes,  dear  grandfather.  And  I  am  to  ask  you  whether 
there  was  ever  any  one  that  I  remind  you  of?  " 

In  a  moment  Sophy  was  round  my  neck,  as  well  as  the 
child,  and  her  husband  was  a  wringing  my  hand  with 
his  face  hid,  and  we  all  had  to  shake  ourselves  together 
before  we  could  get  over  it.  And  when  we  did  begin  to 
get  over  it,  and  I  saw  the  pretty  child  a  talking,  pleased 
and  quick  and  eager  and  busy,  to  her  mother,  in  the 
signs  that  I  had  first  taught  her  mother,  the  happy  and 
yet  pitying  tears  fell  rolling  down  my  face. 


ILLUSTRATED  NATURAL  HISTORY 

By 
Rev.  J.  G.  Wood 


PREFACE 

Works  on  Natural  History  are  always  favorite  reacU 
ing  to  the  young,  and  this  volume  is  an  attempt  to 
supply  the  juvenile  population  with  a  book  which,  in 
addition  to  accurate  information  and  clear  arrangement, 
will  be  attractive  by  its  numerous  illustrations.  These 
not  only  give  the  reader  a  better  idea  of  these  strange 
creatures  than  mere  descriptions  can  do,  but  have 
enabled  us  to  be  as  brief  as  possible  in  our  accounts  of 
their  appearance  and  habits.  While  we  have  studied 
brevity,  care  has  been  taken  to  give  all  necessary  infor- 
mation, and  especial  pains  has  been  bestowed  on  the 
descriptions  of  the  birds  and  beasts  of  our  own  country. 
In  all  cases  for  both  illustrations  and  descriptions  the 
latest  authorities  have  been  consulted. 

New  York, 

October  1,  1899. 


HEAD   OF   THE   PREHISTORIC   MAN  {Restored). 

The  above  head  is  drawn  on  the  basis  of  the  skull  found  in 
1857  at  Neanderthal,  near  Diisseldorf,  in  Germany,  and  sup- 
posed to  be  the  cranium  of  a  prehistoric  man.  It  is  dolicho- 
cephalic, and  almost  without  a  brow. 


Gorillas. 


WOOD'S  NATURAL  HISTORY 

QUADRUMANA 

This  section  includes  the  apes,  baboonsvand  monkeys. 
The  name  of  Quadrumana,  or  four-handed,  is  given  tc 
these  animals  because  their  feet  are  formed  like  hands, 
and  are  capable  of  grasping  the  branches  along  whicfc 
most  monkeys  live.  Apes  are  placed  at  the  head  of  the 
Quadrumana  because  their  instinct  is  superior  to  that 
of  the  baboons  and  monkeys.  The  former  are  sullen 
and  ferocious,  when  arrived  at  their  full  growth,  and 
monkeys  are  volatile  and  mischievous. 

The  Gorilla,  the  most  man-like  of  the  apes,  lives  in 
the  forests  of  Africa.  It  is  shorter  but  broader  than 
the  average  man,  being  about  five  feet  and  a  half  high 
and  about  thirty-eight  inches  from  shoulder  to  shoulder. 
The  neck  is  short,  the  forehead  retreating,  the  nose 
flat,  the  arms  very  long  and  strong,  the  jaws  enormous 
with  large  canine  teeth.  The  body  is  covered  with 
iron -gray  hair,  while  the  hair  on  the  head  is  reddish. 
Its  favorite  food  is  the  wild  sugar-cane  and  nuts. 
When  attacked  by  hunters,  it  beats  its  breast  with  its 
huge  paws,  gives  terrible  roars,  and  if  not  fatalty 
wounded  at  once,  flings  itself  on  the  hunter,  crushing 
both  the  weapon  and  the  man. 

The  Chimpanzee  is  a  native  of  Western  Africa,  and 
large  bands  of  these  apes  congregate  together  in  repel- 

7 


8 


wood's  natural  history 


ling  an  invader.  Even  the  dreaded  elephant  and  lion 
are  chased  away  by  their  united  efforts.  They  live 
principally  on  the  ground,  and  as  their  name  imports, 


SIDE    VIEW    OF   HEAD    OF    CHIMPANZEE 


spend  much  of  their  time  in  caves  and  under  rocks. 
Their  height  is  from  four  to  five  feet.  Several  young 
Chimpanzees  have  shown  themselves  very  docile  an  I 
gentle  in  captivity. 

The    Orang-outan    inhabits    Borneo    and    Suma^a 


ORANGS    IN    THEIR    NATIVE    WOODS 


10  wood's  natural  history 

Next  to  the  gorilla,  this  is  the  largest  of  all  the  apes,  many 
being  above  five  feet  in  height.  The  strength  of  this 
animal  is  tremendous.  Its  arms  are  of  extraordinary 
length,  the  hands  reaching  the  ground  when  it  stands 
erect.  This  length  of  arm  is  admirably  adapted  for 
climbing  trees,  on  which  it  principally  resides. 

The  orangs  are  dull  and  slothful.  "  I  never  observed 
the  slightest  attempt  at  defence,"  a  traveller  writes  ; 
"  and  the  wood,  which  sometimes  rattled  about  our 
ears,  was  broken  by  their  weight,  and  not  thrown,  as 
some  persons  represent.  If  pushed  to  extremity,  how- 
ever, they  are  formidable ;  and  one  unfortunate  man, 
who  was  trying  to  catch  one  alive,  lost  two  of  his  fin- 
gers, besides  being  severely  bitten  on  the  face,  while 
the  animal  finally  beat  off  his  pursuers  and  escaped. 

"  The  rude  hut  which  they  build  in  the  trees  is  more 
properly  a  seat,  or  nest,  for  it  has  no  roof  or  cover  of 
any  sort.  The  speed  with  which  they  form  this  seat  is 
curious  ;  a  wounded  female  has  been  seen  to  weave  the 
branches  together,  and  seat  herself  in  a  minute.  She 
afterward  received  the  fire  without  moviug,  and  died  in 
her  lofty  abode,  whence  it  cost  much  trouble  to  dislodge 
her. 

"  I  saw  a  young  Orang-outan.  It  had  a  very 
small  and  very  round  body,  with  very  long  and  slender 
limbs.  Its  face  was  like  that  of  an  old  miser  thorough^ 
wearied  of  life.  The  lips  appeared  to  express  its  feelings 
much  in  the  same  manner  as  do  the  ears  of  a  horse.  When 
it  was  alarmed  or  astonished  at  any  object  it  would  shoot 
out  both  its  lips,  and  form  its  mouth  into  a  trumpet 


wood's  natural  history  11 

shape.  A  snail  made  it  produce  this  contortion  of 
countenance. 

"The  creature  was  very  tame,  and  delighted  in  walk- 
ing about  the  garden  leaning  on  the  arm  of  its  keeper, 
and  if  any  lady  would  venture  to  be  its  guide,  it 
appeared  as  happy  as  could  be." 

When  young  the  Orang-outan  is  very  docile,  and  has 
been  taught  to  make  its  own  bed,  and  to  handle  a  cup 
and  saucer,  or  a  spoon,  with  propriety.  It  exhibited 
much  ingenuity  in  stealing  blankets  from  other  beds, 
which  it  added  to  its  own.  A  young  Orang  evinced 
extreme  horror  at  the  sight  of  a  small  tortoise,  and 
when  it  was  placed  in  its  den,  stood  aghast  in  a  most 
ludicrously  terrified  attitude,  with  its  eyes  intently 
fixed  on  the  frightful  object. 

The  Agile  Gibbon  is  a  native  of  Sumatra.  It  derives 
its  name  of  Agile  from  the  wonderful  activity  it  dis- 
plays in  leaping  from  branch  to  branch.  One  of  these 
creatures  sprang  with  the  greatest  ease  through  dis- 
tances of  eighteen  feet  ;  and  when  apples  or  nuts  were 
thrown  to  her  while  in  the  air,  she  would  catch  them 
without  discontinuing  her  course.  The  height  of  the 
Gibbon  is  about  three  feet,  and  the  reach  of  the  extended 
arms  about  six  feet. 

The  Kahau  is  a  native  of  Borneo.  It  derives  its  name 
from  its  cry,  which  is  a  repetition  of  the  word  "  Kahau." 
It  is  remarkable  for  the  extraordinary  size  and  shape  of 
its  nose,  and  the  natives  relate  that  while  leaping  it 
holds  it  with  its  paws,  apparently  to  guard  it  against 
the  branches. 


12 


k'd 


WOODS   NATURAL   HISTORY 


The  length  of  the  animal  from  the  head  to  the  tip  of 
the  tail  is  about  four  feet  four  inches  ;  and  its  general 


THE    MANDRILL 


color  is  a  sandy  red,  relieved  by  yellow  cheeks  and  a 
yellow  stripe  over  the  shoulders. 

We   now  arrive  at  the  Baboons.     They  are   distin- 


GOBIIiliAS. 


14  wood's  natueal  history 

guished  from  the  apes  by  their  short  tails.  The  Man- 
drill, the  most  conspicuous  of  the  baboon  tribe,  is  a 
native  of  Guinea  and  Western  Africa,  and  is  chiefly 
remarkable  for  its  vivid  colors.  Its  cheeks  are  of  a 
brilliant  blue,  its  muzzle  of  a  bright  scarlet,  and  a  stripe 
of  crimson  runs  along  the  centre  of  its  nose.  It  lives  in 
forests  with  brush  wood.  On  this  account  it  is  much 
dreaded  by  the  natives.  It  is  excessively  ferocious,  and 
easily  excited  to  anger. 

The  American  Monkeys  are  found  exclusively  in  South 
America,  and  are  never  seen  north  of  Panama.  Their 
tails  are  invariably  long,  and,  in  some  genera,  prehensile. 

The  Coaita  is  one  of  the  Spider  Monkeys,  so  called 
from  their  long  slender  limbs  and  their  method  of  pro- 
gressing among  the  branches.  The  tail  answers  the 
purpose  of  a  fifth  hand ;  indeed,  the  Spider  Monkeys 
are  said  to  use  this  member  for  hooking  out  objects 
where  a  hand  could  not  be  inserted.  The  tail  is  also  of 
use  in  climbing  ;  they  coil  it  round  the  boughs  to  lower 
or  raise  themselves,  and  often  will  suspend  themselves 
entirely  by  it,  and  then  swing  off  to  some  distant 
branch.  They  are  sensitive  to  cold,  and  when  chilly 
wrap  their  tail  about  them,  so  that  it  answers  the  pur- 
pose of  a  boa  as  well  as  a  hand.  When  shot,  they  will 
fasten  their  tail  so  firmly  on  the  branches  that  they 
remain  suspended  after  death.  In  walking,  they  cast 
their  tail  upward  as  high  as  the  shoulders,  and  then 
bend  it  over  so  as  to  form  a  counterbalance  against  the 
weight  of  the  body.  In  most  of  the  species  the  thumb 
is  wanting.     The  Coaita  inhabits  Surinam  and  Guinea 


WOODS   NATUKAL   HISTORY 


15 


The  Howling  Monkeys  are  larger  and  not  so  agile  as 
the  Spider  Monkeys,  and  derive  their  name  from   an 


MARMOSETS 


enlargement   in   the    throat    which   renders   their   cry 
exceedingly  loud  and  mournful. 

They  howl  in  concert,  principally  at  the  rising  and 
setting  of  the  sun  ;    one  monkey  begins  the  cry,  which 


16 


wood's  natural  history 


<£'§  A 


TYPICAL    SPIDER    MONKEYS 


is  gradually  taken  up  by  the  rest.  They  are  in  great 
request  among  the  natives  as  articles  of  food,  their  slow 
habits  rendering  them  an  easy  prey. 


wood's  natural  history  17 

The  Ursine  Howler,  or  Araguato,  is  common  in  Bra- 
zil, where  fifty  have  been  observed  on  one  tree.  They 
generally  travel  in  files,  an  old  monkey  taking  the 
lead,  and  the  others  following  in  due  order.  They  feed 
on  leaves  and  fruit  ;  the  tail  is  prehensile  like  that  of 
the  Spider  Monkeys. 

The  Marmoset  is  a  most  interesting  little  creature. 
It  is  exceedingly  sensitive  to  cold,  and  usually  nestles 
among  the  materials  for  its  bed.  It  will  eat  almost  any 
article  of  food,  but  is  very  fond  of  insects.  It  will  also 
eat  fruits. 

This  pretty  little  Monkey  is  also  called  the  Ouistiti, 
from  its  peculiar  whistling  cry  when  alarmed  or 
provoked. 

The  Lemurs  derive  their  name  from  their  nocturnal' 
habits  and  their  noiseless  movements.  The  Ruffled 
Lemur  is  a  native  of  Madagascar.  It  lives  in  the: 
depths  of  the  forests,  and  only  moves  by  night,  the 
entire  day  being  spent  in  sleep.  Its  food  consists  of 
fruits,  insects,  and  small  birds,  which  latter  it  takes 
while  they  are  sleeping.  This  is  the  largest  of  the 
Lemurs,  being  rather  larger  than  a  cat.. 

The  Slender  Loris  is  a  native  of  India,  Ceylon,  etc. 
It,  like  the  Lemur,  seldom  moves  by  day,  but  prowls 
about  at  night  in  search  of  food. 

WING-HANDED   ANIMALS 

We  now  arrive  at  the  Bats,  or  Cheiroptera,  whose 
fore-paws,  or  hands,  are  developed  into  wings  by  a  thin 
membrane. 


K 


18 


WOOD  S   NATURAL   HISTORY 


The  usual  food  of  Bats  is  insects,  which  they  mostly 
capture  on  the  wing ;  but  some,  as  the  Vampires,  suck 


LONG-EARED   BAT 


blood  from  other  animals,  and  a  few,  as  the  Kalong  or 
Flying  Fox,  live  upon  fruits.  Even  the  cocoanut  is 
not  secure  from  their  depredations. 

The  membrane  of  the  wing1  is    extremely  sensitive, 


wood's  natural  history  19 

and  the  elongation  of  the  finger  joints  gives  the  animal 
the  power  of  extending  or  folding  it.  When  the  Bat 
wishes  to  walk,  it  half  folds  the  membrane,  and  assumes 
an  attitude  represented  in  the  cut  of  the  Long-eared  Bat. 

The  thumb  joint  has  no  part  of  the  wing  attached  to  it, 
but  is  left  free,  and  is  armed  with  a  hook  at  the  extremity 
by  means  of  which  it  is  enabled  to  drag  itself  along. 

The  Vampire  Bat  is  a  native  of  South  America.  It 
lives  on  the  blood  of  animals,  and  sucks  usually  while 
its  victim  sleeps.  The  extremities,  where  the  blood 
flows  freely,  as  the  toe  of  a  man,  the  ears  of  a  horse,  or 
the  combs  and  wattles  of  fowls,  are  its  favorite  spots. 
When  it  has  selected  a  subject  it  watches  until  the 
animal  is  fairly  asleep.  It  then  fans  its  victim 
with  its  wings  while  it  bites  a  little  hole  in  the  ear, 
and  through  this  small  hole,  into  which  a  pin's  head 
would  scarcely  pass,  it  sucks  up  a  very  ample  meal. 
The  victim  does  not  discover  anything  until  the  morn- 
ing, when  a  pool  of  blood  betrays  the  visit  of  the 
Vampire. 

The  wound  made  by  the  teeth  is  no  larger  than  that 
made  hy  a  needle,  and  the  blood  must  be  extracted  by 
suction.  The  membrane  on  its  nose  resembles  a  leaf. 
The  length  of  its  body  is  about  six  inches. 

The  Long-eared  Bat  may  be  seen  on  warm  evenings 
flying  about  in  search  of  insects,  and  uttering  its  pecul- 
iar shrill  cry.  It  is  easily  tamed,  and  will  take  flies 
and  other  insects  from  the  hand.  It  will  hang  by  the 
wing-hooks  during  the  whole  of  the  day,  but  in  the 
evening  becomes  very  brisk,  and   eagerly  seizes  a  fly 


20  wood's  natural  history 

or  beetle  and  devours    it,    always  rejecting  the   head. 

legs,  and  wings. 

When  it  is  suspended  by  its  hinder  claws,  it  assumes 

a  most  singular  aspect.     The  beautiful  long  ears  are 

tucked  under  its  wings,  which  envelop  a  great  part  of 

its  body 

QUADRUPEDS 

At  the  head  of  the  Quadrupeds,  or  four-footed  ani- 
mals, are  placed  the  flesh -eaters,  and  at  the  head  of 
them  the  cat  kind  are  placed,  as  being  the  most  perfect 
and  beautiful  in  that  section.  The  cats  all  take  their 
prey  by  creeping  as  near  as  they  can  without  observa- 
tion, and  then  springing  upon  their  victim,  which  their 
claws  and  teeth  dash  insensible  to  the  ground.  Their 
jaws  are  powerful,  and  their  teeth  long  and  sharp. 
Their  claws,  too,  are  very  long,  curved,  and  sharp,  an 
are  drawn  back,  when  not  in  use,  into  a  sheath  whic 
guards  them  and  keeps  them  sharp.  There  are  five 
claws  on  the  fore-feet,  and  four  on  the  hinder  feet. 
The  tongue  is  very  rough,  as  ma}-  be  proved  by  feeling 
the  tongue  of  a  common  cat.  This  roughness  is  oc- 
casioned by  innumerable  little  hooks  which  cover 
the  tongue,  point  backward,  and  are  used  for  licking  the 
flesh  off  the  bones  of  their  prey.  The  bristles  of  the 
mouth,  or  whiskers,  are  useful  in  indicating  an  obstacle 
when  the  animal  prowls  by  night.  Their  eyes  are 
adapted  for  night  work  by  the  pupil  expanding  so  a 
to  take  in  every  ray  of  light. 

The    Lion,    "king   of   beasts,"    inhabits  Africa  and 
certain  parts  of  Asia. 


PLYING    SQUIRREL. 


22 


wood's  natural  history 


One  of  the  most  striking  things  connected  with  the 
Lion  is  his  voice,  which  is  extremely  grand  and  pecul- 
iarly striking.  It  consists,  at  times,  of  a  low  deep 
moaning,  repeated  five  or  six  times,  ending  in  faintly 
audible  sighs  ;  at  other  times  he  startles  the  forest  with 
loud,  deep-toned,  solemn  roars,  repeated  five  or  six 
times  in  quick  succession,  each  increasing  in  loudness 


THE    BENGAL    TIGER 


to  the  third  or  fourth,  when  his  voice  dies  away  in  five 
or  six  low,  muffled  sounds,  very  much  resembling  dis- 
tant thunder.  At  times  a  troop  may  be  heard  roarmg 
in  concert,  one  assuming  the  lead,  and  two,  three,  or 
four  more  regularly  taking  up  their  parts  like  persons 
singing  a  catch.  Lions  who  have  once  tasted  human 
flesh  are  the  most  to  be  dreaded,  as  they  will  even  ven- 
ture to  spring  in  among  a  company  of  men  and  seize 
their  victim.     These  lions  are  called  Man-eaters. 

The  Lioness  is  much  smaller  than  the  Lion,  and  is 


wood's  natural  history  23 

destitute  of  the  mane.  As  a  general  rule  she  is  fiercer 
and  more  active  than  the  male,  especially  before  she 
has  had  cubs,  or  while  she  is  suckling  them.  They  are 
beautiful,  playful  little  things,  and  are  slightly  striped. 
They  have  no  mane  until  about  two  years  old.  The 
cubs  are  remarkably  heavy  for  their  age,  and  about  the 
size  of  very  large  cats,  but  weigh  considerably  more. 

The  Tiger  is  found  only  in  Asia.  In  size  it  is  almost 
equal  to  the  lion,  its  height  being  from  three  to  four 
feet,  and  its  length  rather  more  than  eight  feet.  It 
has  no  mane,  but  it  is  decorated  with  black  stripes, 
upon  a  ground  of  reddish-yellow  fur,  which  becomes 
almost  white  on  the  under  parts  of  the  body.  The 
chase  of  the  Tiger  is  among  the  favorite  sports  in 
India.  A  number  of  hunters  assemble,  mounted  on 
elephants,  and  proceed  to  the  spot  where  a  Tiger  has 
been  seen  in  the  long  grass  or  jungle.  When  roused 
it  endeavors  to  creep  away  under  the  grass.  The 
movement  of  the  leaves  betrays  him,  and  finding  that 
he  cannot  escape  without  being  seen,  he  turns  round, 
and  springs  at  the  nearest  elephant,  endeavoring  to 
clamber  up  it  and  attack  the  party.  Many  elephants 
will  turn  round  and  run  away,  regardless  of  the  efforts 
of  their  drivers  to  make  them  face  the  tiger.  Should, 
however,  the  elephants  stand  firm,  a  well-directed  ball 
checks  the  tiger  in  his  spring,  and  a  volley  of  balls 
from  the  backs  of  the  other  elephants  soon  lays  him 
prostrate. 

Tigers  are  usually  taken  by  the  natives  in  pitfalls, 
at  the  bottom  of  which  is  planted  a  bamboo  stake,  the 


24 


WOOD  S    NATURAL    HISTORY 


top  of  which  is  sharpened  into  a  point.    The  animal  falls 
on  the  point  and  as  impaled. 

The  Leopard  is  an  inhabitant  of  Africa,  India,  and 
the  Indian  Islands.      A   black  variety  inhabits   Java. 


THE    PUMA 


Its  height  is  about  two  feet.  It  lives  on  trees,  and  is 
called  the  Tree-tiger  by  the  natives.  Nothing  can  be 
more  beautiful  than  the  elegant  and  active  manner  in 
which  the  Leopards  sport  among  the  branches  of  the 


M 

O 


3 

w 


26 


wood's  natural  history 


trees  :  at  one  time  they  will  bound  from  branch  to 
branch  with  such  rapidity  that  the  eye  can  scarcely 
follow  them  ;  then,  as  if  tired,  they  will  suddenly 
stretch  themselves  along  a  branch,  so  as  to  be  hardly 
distinguishable  from  the  bark,  but  start  up  again  on 
the  slightest  provocation  and  again  resume  their  grace- 
ful  antics.      It  is  easily  tamed,   and   expresses   great 


THE   OCELOT 


fondness  for  its  keeper,  and  will  play  with  him  like  a 
cat.  It  is  exceedingly  fond  of  some  scents,  especially 
preferring  lavender  water,  by  means  of  which  it  has 
been  taught  to  perform  several  tricks. 

The  Leopard  and  Panther  are  considered  the  same 
animal,  on  the  authority  of  Mr.  Gray. 

The  Jaguar  inhabits  America.  It  is  larger  and  more 
powerful  than  the  leopard,  which  it  resembles  in  color, 
but  has  a  black  streak  across  the  chest  and  a  black  spot 


wood's  natural  history 


27 


in  the  centre  of  the  rosettes.  It  is  fond  of  climbing 
trees,  and  chases  monkeys  successfully,  and  is  said  to 
watch  for  turtles  on  the  beach,  and  to  scoop  out  their 
flesh  by  turning  them  on  their  backs,  and  inserting  its 
paws  between  the  shells  ;    and  will  enter  water  after 


THE    ANGORA    CAT 


fish,  and  capture  them  in  the  shallows  by  striking 
them  out  of  the  water  with  a  blow  of  its  paw. 

The  Puma  inhabits  the  whole  of  America,  and  is  held 
in  much  dread  by  the  natives.  Its  color  is  a  uniform  gray, 
fading  into  white  on  the  under  parts  of  its  body.  It  lives 
much  on  trees,  and  usually  lies  along  the  branches. 

We  always  speak  of  this  animal  as  the  panther,  or 
"  painter,"  as  it  is  more  familiarly  pronounced ;    some 


28 


WOODS    NATURAL    HISTORY 


term  it  the  cougar,  a  word  contracted  from  the  original 
elongated  unpronounceable  Mexican  name,  "  Gou- 
az'ouara." 

The  Ocelot  is  a  native  of  Mexico  and  Peru.     Its  height 
is  about  eighteen  inches,  and  its  length  about  three  feet. 


THE    CANADA    LYNX 


It  is  a  most  beautiful  animal,  and  is  easily  tamed.  When 
in  a  wild  state  it  lives  principally  on  monkeys. 

The  domestic  Cat  differs  from  the  wild  Cat  hy  the 
form  of  the  tail.  That  of  the  domestic  Cat  is  long  and 
tapering,  while  that  of  the  wild  Cat  is  bushy  and 
short. 

The  Cat  is  known  to  us  as  a  persevering  mouse-  and 
bird-hunter.  Kittens  but  just  able  to  see  will  bristle 
up  at  the  touch  of  a  mouse  and  growl. 


Leopard. 


30 


WOOD  S   NATURAL   HISTORY 


The  Cat  displays  a  great  affection  for  her  kittens, 
and  her  pride  when  they  first  rnn  about  is  quite 
amusing. 

Cats  are  very  fond  of  aromatic  plants  and  several 
powerful  scents.     Valerian  or  catnip  appears  to  be  the 


THE  CHETAH,  OR  HUNTING  LEOPARD 


great  attraction,  for  they  will  come  in  numbers,  roll  over 
it,  and  scratch  up  the  plant  until  there  is  not  a  vestige 
of  it  left. 

There   are  several    varieties   of    the   domestic    Ca1 
among  which  the  Angora  cats,  with  their  beautiful  lonj 


WOODS   NATURAL   HISTORY  31 

fur  and  the  Manx  cats  of  the  Chartreuse  breed,  which 
have  no  tails,  are  the  most  conspicuous. 

The  Lynxes  are  remarkable  for  the  pencil  of  hairs 
which  tufts  their  sharply  pointed  ears.  The  Canada 
Lynx  is  a  native  of  North  America.  Its  method  of 
progression  is  by  bounds  from  all  four  feet  at  once, 
with  the  back  arched.  It  feeds  principally  on  the 
hare.  Its  length  is  about  three  feet.  Its  skin  forms  an 
important  article  of  commerce. 

The  Chetah,  or  Hunting  Leopard,  is  one  of  the  most 
graceful  animals  known.  It  is  a  native  both  of  Africa 
and  India,  and  in  the  latter  country  is  used  for  hunting 
game.  The  Chetah  is  either  led  blindfolded  in  a  chain, 
or  placed  upon  a  cart,  and  taken  to  the  place  where 
antelopes  or  deer  are  feeding.  When  close  enough  the 
hunter  takes  the  band  from  its  eyes.  Directly  the 
Chetah  sees  the  deer,  it  creeps  off  the  cart,  and  when  it 
has  succeeded  in  approaching,  it  makes  two  or  three 
springs,  and  fastens  on  the  back  of  one  unfortunate 
deer,  and  waits  until  its  keeper  comes  up.  It  is  so 
easily  tamable  and  so  gentle  that  it  is  frequently  led 
for  sale  about  the  streets  by  a  string. 

The  Hyenina,  or  Hyenas,  are  remarkable  for  their  fero- 
cious and  cowardly  habits.  There  are  several  Hyenas, 
but  the  habits  of  all  are  very  similar.  The  Hyenas, 
though  very  repulsive  in  appearance,  are  yet  very  useful, 
as  they  prowl  in  search  of  dead  animals,  especially  of 
the  larger  kinds,  and  will  devour  them  even  when 
putrid.  Their  jaws  and  teeth  are  exceedingly  power- 
ful, as  they  can  crush  the  thigh-bone  of  an  ox  with 


32 


wood's  natural  history 


fc: 


little  effort.  The  skull  is  very  strong,  and  furnished 
.with  heavy  ridges  for  the  support  of  the  muscles  which 
move  the  jaw. 

The  hinder  parts  of  the  Hyena  are  very  small,  and 


THE    SPOTTED   HYENA 


give  it  a  strange  shambling  appearance  when  walking. 
The  Hyena  is  easily  tamed,  and  even  domesticated. 

The  Striped  Hyena  is  found  in  many  parts  of  Ash 
and  Africa,  where  it  is  both  a  benefit  and  a  pest,  foi 
when  dead  animals  fail  it,  the  flocks  and  herds  are  rav- 
aged, and  even  man  does  not  always  escape. 


Jaguar. 


fcr 


34  wood's  natural  history 

The  Civets  are  active  little  animals  averaging  about 
two  feet  in  length.  The  whole  group  is  celebrated  for 
their  perfume,  which  id  of  some  importance  in  commerce. 
It  is  found  only  in  North  Africa.  It  feeds  upon  birds 
and  small  quadrupeds,  which  it  takes  by  surprise. 

The  Ichneumons,  or  Mangousts,  with  their  long  bodies, 
short  limbs,  and  slender  tails,  insinuate  themselves 
into  every  crevice  in  search  of  their  food.  Snakes,  liz- 
ards, crocodiles'  eggs,  or  even  young  crocodiles  them- 
selves, form  their  food,  and  they  are  able  to  secure 
birds,  and  even  seize  upon  the  swift  and  wary  lizards. 

The  Egyptian  Ichneumon,  or  Pharaoh's  Rat,  as  it  is 
sometimes  called,  is  a  native  of  North  Africa,  and  is 
often  domesticated  for  the  purpose  of  destroying  the 
various  snakes  and  other  reptile  annoyances,  which  are 
such  a  pest  in  the  houses  of  hot  countries.  Its  length 
without  the  tail  is  about  eighteen  inches. 

The  Dog  Family  includes  the  Dogs,  Wolves,  Jackals, 
and  Foxes.  The  first  of  the  Dogs  is  the  Kolsun,  or 
Dhale,  which  inhabits  Bombay  and  Nepaul.  It  hunts 
in  packs,  and  has  been  known  to  destroy  tigers  and 
chetahs.  The  Newfoundland  was  originally  brought 
from  Newfoundland.  It  is  often  confounded  with  the 
Labrador  Dog,  a  larger  and  more  powerful  animal. 
The  Newfoundland  is  well  known  as  a  faithful  guardian 
of  its  master's  property.  It  is  remarkably  fond  of  the 
water,  and  instances  are  known  of  this  noble  animal 
saving  the  lives  of  people  who  have  fallen  into  the 
water.  This  is  one  of  the  largest  of  the  dogs,  as  it 
stands  nearly  two  feet  two  inches  in  height. 


wood's  natural  history 


85 


There  are  several  varieties  of  Bloodhounds,  in- 
habiting Cuba,  Africa,  and  England.  They  all  are 
endowed  with  a  wonderfully  acute  sense  of  smell, 
and  can  trace  a  man  or  animal  with  almost  unerring 
certainty. 


THE    WOLF 


The  Foxhound  and  Beagle  are  not  very  dissimilar  in 
form  or  habits.  They  both  follow  game  by  the  scent, 
and  are  used  in  hunting.  The  height  of  the  foxhound 
is  about  twenty-two  inches. 

The  Beagle  is  used  for  hare    hunting.     It  is  much 


36  wood's  natural  history 

smaller  than  the  foxhound,  and  not  nearly  so  swift,  but 
its  scent  is  keener. 

The  Pointer  is  used  by  sportsmen  to  point  out  the 
spot  where  the  game  lies.  It  then  remains,  every  limb 
fixed,  and  the  tail  pointing  straight  behind  it,  until  the 
gun  is  discharged. 

The  group  of  the  Mastiff  dogs  includes  the  Mastiff, 
the  Bull-dog,  and  the  little  Pug-dog. 

The  Mastiff  is  generally  employed  as  a  house-dog.  It 
is  by  far  the  most  sagacious  of  the  whole  group,  and 
exhibits  much  more  attachment  to  its  master  than  the 
others. 

The  Bull-dog  is  proverbial  for  courage  and  endurance. 
This  dog  was  extensively  used  in  the  cruel  sport  of  ball- 
baiting.  When  opposed  to  the  bull  the  dog  would  fly 
at  its  nose,  and  there  hang  in  spite  of  all  its  struggles. 

The  Terriers  never  grow  to  any  considerable  size. 
These  dogs  were  once  used  to  unearth  the  fox  or  the 
badger,  but  now  are  mostly  pets,  as  they  are  extremely 
attached  to  their  master,  and  are  capable  of  learning 
many  amusing  tricks. 

The  Shepherd's  Dog  is  a  rough,  shaggy  animal,  with 
sharp-pointed  ears  and  nose.  It  is  an  invaluable  assistant 
to  the  shepherd,  as  it  knows  all  its  master's  sheep,  never 
suffers  them  to  stray,  and  when  two  flocks  have  mixed, 
it  will  separate  its  own  charge  with  the  greatest 
certainty. 

The  Greyhound  is  the  swiftest  of  all  dogs,  and  is 
principally  used  in  the  pursuit  of  the  hare,  which 
amusement  is  termed  coursing.     It  hunts  by  sight. 


wood's  natural  history 


37 


The  Wolf  has  very  much  the  form  of  a  large,  long- 
legged  dog  with  a  drooping  tail.  The  hair  is  long, 
rough,  and  thick,  of  a  grayish  color  mixed  with  black. 
In  the  thickly  peopled  countries  of  Europe  it  has  been 
exterminated,  but  it  is  still  found  in  Russia  in  the 
steppes,  in  Spain  in  the    mountains,  in   Hungary  and 


COYOTE 


Lapland,  and  is  common  in  Central  Asia.  It  is  wild 
and  fierce  and  very  destructive  to  sheep  and  cattle, 
and  when  driven  hj  hunger  has  been  known  to  attack 
travellers.  In  winter  the}^  gather  in  large  packs  and 
become  a  terrible  scourge.  The  American  Wolf  is 
slightly  different  from  that  of  the  Old  World.  The 
Gray  Wolf  is  more  robust  than  that  of  Europe,  and 
ltas  a  straight  and  bushy  tail.       The  Black   Wolf,  in 


38 


wood's  natural  history 


the  time  of  Audubon,  was  not  uncommon  in  Kentucky, 
but  is  now  found  chiefly  in  Florida.  The  Red  Wolf 
of  Texas  is  more  slender  than  the  others,  with  a  cun- 
ning, fox-like  look. 

The  Fox.      The    habits   of   this    animal   are    mostly 
nocturnal.     It  lies  by  day  concealed  in  its  burrow,  or 


ii 


POLECAT 


in  the  depths  of  some  thicket.  Toward  evening  it 
sallies  out  in  search  of  food,  and  woe  to  the  unfortu- 
nate hare,  rabbit,  pheasant,  or  fowl  that  comes  in  its 
way. 

When  irritated,  the  fox  gives  out  a  strong,  dis- 
agreeable scent,  which  lies  so  long  on  the  ground 
that  it  may  be  perceived  for  nearly  an  hour  after 
the  fox  has  passed.  Partly  on  this  account,  and  partly 
on  account  of  its  speed,  endurance,  and  cunning,  the 


wood's  natural  history 


39 


chase  of  the  fox  is  one  of  the  most  popular  English 
sports. 

The  Coyote,  properly  so-called,  is  a  little  cur  of  an 
animal,  scarcely  larger  than  a  fox,  and  is  sometimes 
known  as  the  Indian  fox.     It  has  a  wolfish  head,  sharp 


THE    PINE    MARTEN 


ears,  a  long  muzzle,  and  rough  thick  tail.  The  name 
Coyote,  however,  is  commonly  applied  to  the  Prairie 
Wolf.  It  digs  its  burrow  in  the  prairies,  on  some 
slight  elevation,  to  prevent  the  burrow  being  filled 
with  water.  Its  howl  resembles  very  closely  the  bark 
of  a  dog.  When  buffaloes  were  numerous  thej  used 
to  follow  the  herds,  and  attack  the  weak  or  wounded 


40 


WOODS    NATURAL    HISTORY 


members  of  the  herd.  Some  of  them  have  been  tamed, 
and  they  display  ail  the  qualities  oi  the  common  dog, 
and  know  their  masters.  The  color  is  a  dirty  gray 
passing  into  a  blacker  tint  on  the  back.  When  full 
grown  it  measures  about  four  feet.  It  is  found  on 
»  the  plains  of  the  West  and  in  Mexico. 

The    Foumart,   or   Polecat,   is  known  by  its   giving 
out  an  offensive  odor.       It  is  bold  and  bloodthirsty  ; 


THE    BADGER 


it  sucks  the  blood  of  its  victims  and  eats  their  brains, 
but  leaves  the  body  untouched.  Its  fur  is  often  sold 
for  sable.  It  destroys  game  and  attacks  poultry  yards, 
and  does  not  despise  to  make  its  dinner  on  frogs  and 
fish.  In  ofTensiveness  it  cannot  be  compared  to  our 
native  skunk. 

The  Mustelina,  or  Weasels,  are  easily  distinguished 
by  their  long  slender  bodies,  short  muzzle,  sharp  teeth, 
and  predatory  habits.      Almost  all  the  Weasels  devour 


WOOD  S    NATURAL    HISTORY 


41 


the  brain  and  suck  the  blood  of  their  prey,  but  seldom 
touch  the  flesh. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  Martens,  the  Pine  and  the 
Beech  Marten.  The  Pine  Marten  is  not  uncommon 
in    North   America,   where    it    is    much    too    fond    of 


THE    AMERICAN    BLACK    BEAR 


chickens  and  ducklings  to  be  a  desirable  neighbor. 
This  animal,  as  well  as  the  sable,  is  much  sought 
after  on  account  of  its  skin,  which  furnishes  a  beauti- 
ful fur. 

The  Stoat,  or  Ermine,  is  a  common  English  animal. 
During  the  winter,  the  Stoat  becomes  partially  white, 
in  northern  countries  wholly  so,  except  the  tip  of  the 
tail,  which  remains  black.       In  this  state  it  is  called 


in 


42  wood's  natural  history 

the  Ermine,  and  is  killed  in  great  numbers  for  the 
sake  of  its  beautiful  and  valuable  fur. 

The  Weasel  is  the  least  of  this  tribe.  It  wages 
unrelenting  war  on  rats  and  mice. 

The  Badger.  This  harmless  animal  lives  at  the 
bottom  of  deep  burrows,  in  which  it  passes  all  the 
day.  When  the  evening  approaches  it  seeks  its  food, 
consisting  of  roots,  fruit,  insects,  and  sometimes  young 
rabbits. 

Its  skin  is  rather  valuable,  the  hair  being  extensively 
employed  in  the  manufacture  of  brushes.  The  length 
of  the  Badger  is  about  twenty-seven  inches. 

The  Otter  seems  to  play  the  same  part  in  the  water 
as  the  weasels  on  the  land. 

It  slides  noiselessly  into  the  water,  turns  and  twists 
about  below  the  surface  with  the  same  ease  as  a  fish, 
then,  with  a  sweep  of  the  body,  it  glides  to  the  surface 
and  ascends  the  bank  with  almost  the  same  motion. 
While  below  the  surface  it  resembles  the  seal. 

The  Otter  is  easily  tamed,  and  the  Hindoos  have 
brought  the  art  of  training  them  to  catch  fish  to  great 
perfection,  and  keep  their  otters  regularly  tethered 
with  ropes  and  straw  collars  on  the  banks  of  the  river. 

The  Bears  and  their  allies  are  mostly  heavy,  and 
walk  with  the  whole  foot  placed  flat  on  the  ground,  un- 
like the  cats,  dogs,  etc.,  which  walk  with  merely  their 
paws  or  toes.  All  the  bears  are  omnivorous,  that  is, 
they  can  eat  either  animal  or  vegetable  food,  so  that  a 
leg  of  mutton,  a  pot  of  honey,  a  potato,  and  an  apple 
are  equally  acceptable. 


wood's  natural  history  43 

The  Biown  Bear  inhabits  the  north  of  Europe, 
Switzerland,  and  the  Pyrenees.  It  is  solitary,  infests 
mountains  and  forests,  eats  fish  and  other  animals,  and 
subsists  partly  on  fruits  and  vegetable  food.  The 
inhabitants  of  Northern  Europe  hunt  it,  and  take  it 
in  traps. 

The  Black  Bear  is  found  in  all  parts  of  North  Amer- 
ica. Its  total  length  is  about  five  feet.  It  prefers 
vegetable  food,  but  when  pressed  by  hunger  will  kill 
and  eat  small  animals.  It  kills  its  prey  by  hugging  or 
squeezing  with  its  fore-paws.  Great  numbers  of  black 
bears  are  killed  for  their  skins,  which  have  a  smooth, 
glossy  fur,  and  are  valuable  for  cloaks,  caps,  etc.  This 
animal  is  an  expert  climber,  is  very  fond  of  honey  and 
green  corn  (maize),  and  is  less  fierce  and  dangerous  to 
man  than  the  brown  bear. 

The  Grizzly  Bear  is  a  native  of  North  America.  It 
is  the  most  ferocious  and  powerful  of  its  family,  and  is 
an  animal  which  must  be  either  avoided  or  fought,  for 
there  is  no  medium.  If  a  Grizzly  once  sees  a  man,  it 
will  probably  chase  him,  and  will  do  so  with  great  per- 
severance. An  American  traveller  was  chased  nearly 
thirty  miles  by  one  of  these  bears,  which  would  prob- 
ably have  kept  up  the  chase  as  many  miles  more,  had 
the  traveller  not  crossed  a  wide  river,  over  which  the 
bear  did  not  choose  to  follow  him. 

The  Polar,  or  White  Bear,  called  Nennook  by  the 
Esquimaux,  lives  in  the  Arctic  regions,  where  it  feeds 
on  seals,  fish,  and  even  the  walrus,  as  it  dives  with 
great  ease,  and  is  able  to  chase  the  seal  amid  the  waves, 


44 


WOOD  S    NATURAL   HISTORY 


These  bears  are  often  drifted  from  Greenland  to  Iceland 
on  fields  of  ice,  and  the  inhabitants  are  forced  to  rise  in 
a  body  and  put  an  end  to  their  depredations. 

The  Raccoon  is  about  the  size  of  a  fox,  and  an  in- 
habitant of  Canada  and  other  parts  of  America.     It  is 


COMMON    RACCOON 


said  to  wash  its  food  before  eating  it.  Its  skin  is  valu- 
able, and  is  much  sought  after. 

The  food  of  the  Raccoon  is  principally  small  animals 
and  insects.  Like  a  squirrel  when  eating  a  nut,  the 
Raccoon  usually  holds  its  food  between  its  fore-paws 
pressed  together,  and  sits  upon  its  hind-quarters  while 
it  eats.     Like  the  fox,  it  prowls  by  night. 

The  Mole.     The  eyes  of  the  Mole  are  very  small,  in 


35- 
< 

n 

S3 

S3 

M 

H 
H 


46 


WOOD  S   XATUEAL   HISTORY 


order  to  prevent  them  from  being  injured  by  the  earth 
through  which  the  animal  makes  its  way.  The  acute 
ears  and  delicate  sense  of  smell  supply  the  place  of 
eyes.  Its  fur  is  very  fine,  soft,  capable  of  turning  in 
any  direction,  and  will  not  retain  a  particle  of  mould. 
The  two  fore-paws  are  composed  of  five  fingers,  armed 


the  mole.  —  a  and  6,  Upper  and  Lower  Surface  of  Right  Fore-Foot 

of  Mole. 


with  sharp,  strong  nails,  in  order  to  scrape  up  the 
earth  ;  and  the  hands  are  turned  outward,  so  as  to 
throw  the  earth  out  of  its  way. 

It  is  a  good  swimmer,  and  can  pass  from  bank  to 
bank,  or  from  the  shore  to  an  island,  and  when  the 
fields  are  inundated  by  floods  it  can  save  itself  by 
swimming. 


wood's  natural  history 


47 


The  construction  of  the  Mole's  habitation  is  very 
singular  and  interesting.  Each  Mole  has  its  own  hab- 
itation and  hunting  ground,  and  will  not  permit 
strangers  to  trespass  upon  its  preserves,  which  it 
guards,  not  by  "  man-traps  "  and  "  spring-guns,9'  but 
by  its  claws  and  teeth. 


£ri§te 


THE    SPIDER   MUSK-SHREW    AND    COMMON    SHREW 


The  animal  works  desperately  for  several  hours,  and 
then  rests  for  as  many  hours.  The  mode  of  burrowing 
is  by  rooting  up  the  earth  with  its  snout,  and  then 
scooping  it  away  with  its  fore-feet. 

The  depth  at  which  this  animal  works  depends  al- 
most entirely  on  the  time  of  year.  In  the  summer,  the 
worms  come  to  the  surface,  and  the  Mole  accordingly 
follows  them,  making  quite  superficial  runs,  and  some- 
times only  scooping  trenches  on  the  surface.     But  in 


48 


WOOD'S    NATURAL    HISTORY 


*s 


the  winter,  when  the  worms  sink  deep  into  the  ground, 
Sue  Mole  is  forced  to  follow  them  there,  to  work  at  the 
hard  soil,  as  it  did  in  the  earth  nearer  the  surface. 

sill 


THE  HEDGEHOG 


Moles  vary  in  color,  the  usual  tint  being  a  very  deep 
brown,  almost  black  ;  but  they  have  been  seen  of  an 
orange  color,  and  a  white  variety  is  not  uncommon. 
There  are  several  Moles  known  :  the  Shrew  Mole,  the 
Changeable  Mole,  the  Cape  Mole,  and  the  Star-nosed 
Mole  are  the  most  conspicuous. 

The  Shrew  Mouse  is  very  like  the  common  mouse, 


n 

Hi 

o 


50  wood's  natural  history 

but  is  distinguished  from  it  by  the  length  of  the  nose, 
which  is  used  for  grubbing  up  the  earth  in  search  of 
earth-worms  and  insects.  A  peculiar  scent  is  diffused 
from  these  animals,  which  is  possibly  the  reason  why 
the  cat  will  not  eat  them,  although  she  will  readily 
destroy  them. 

The  Shrew  has  no  connection  with  the  true  mice.  It 
belongs  to  a  different  class  of  animals,  its  teeth  being 
sharp  and  pointed,  whereas  those  of  the  mouse  are 
broad  and  chisel-shaped. 

There  are,  besides  the  common  species,  the  Oared  and 
the  Water  Shrew.  The  formation  of  their  hair  as  seen 
under  a  powerful  microscope  is  very  beautiful,  but  quite 
distinct  from  the  hair  of  the  mouse  or  rat.  In  the 
autumn,  numbers  of  these  little,  animals  may  be  seen  lying 
dead,  but  what  causes  this  destruction  is  not  known. 

The  Hedgehog  is  one  of  the  remarkable  animals  that 
are  guarded  with  spikes.  These  spikes  are  fixed  into 
the  skin  in  a  very  beautiful  and  simple  manner.  When 
the  Hedgehog  is  annoyed  it  rolls  itself  up,  and  the 
tightness  of  the  skin  causes  all  its  spines  to  stand  firm 
and  erect.  While  rolled  up,  even  the  dog  and  the  fox 
are  baffled  by  it ;  but  by  rolling  it  along  they  push  it 
into  a  puddle  or  pool,  when  the  Hedgehog  immediately 
unrolls  itself  to  see  what  is  the  matter,  and  before  it 
can  close  itself  again  is  seized  by  its  crafty  enemy. 

The  food  of  the  Hedgehog  consists  of  insects,  snails, 
frogs,  mice,  and  snakes.  Dr.  Buckland  placed  a  snake 
in  the  same  box  with  a  Hedgehog.  The  Hedgehog 
gave  the  snake  a  severe  bite,  and  then  rolled  itself  up. 


wood's  natural  history  51 

this  process  being  repeated  until  the  spine  of  the  snake 
was  broken  in  several  places  ;  it  then  began  at  the  tail, 
and  ate  the  snake  gradually,  as  one  would  eat  a  radish. 

The  flesh  of  the  Hedgehog  is  said  to  be  good  eating, 
and  the  gypsies  frequently  make  it  a  part  of  their  diet, 
as  do  the  people  in  some  parts  of  Europe. 

During  the  winter  it  lives  in  a  torpid  state,  in  a  hole 
well  lined  with  grass  and  moss,  and  when  discovered 
looks  like  a  round  mass  of  leaves  as  it  has  rolled  itself 
among  the  fallen  foliage,  which  adheres  to  its  spikes. 

In  the  Kangaroos  the  hind-legs  are  very  long  and 
immensely  powerful  ;  the  fore-legs  are  very  small,  and 
used  more  as  hands  than  for  walking  ;  the  tail  also  is 
very  thick  and  strong,  and  assists  the  animal  in  its  leaps. 

The  Great  Kangaroo  inhabits  Australia,  where  the 
natives  live  much  on  its  flesh.  Its  method  of  progres- 
sion is  by  immense  leaps  from  its  long  hind-legSo  The 
natural  walking  position  of  this  animal  is  on  all  four 
legs,  although  it  constantly  sits  up  on  the  hinder  legs, 
or  even  stands  on  a  tripod  composed  of  its  hind  feet  and 
tail,  in  order  to  look  out  over  the  tops  of  the  luxuriant 
grass  among  which  it  lives.  The  leaping  movements 
are  required  for  haste  or  escape,  the  length  of  each  leap 
being  about  fifteen  feet. 

Hunting  this  animal  is  a  favorite  sport.  The  natives 
either  knock  it  down  with  the  boomerang,  spear  it 
from  behind  a  bush,  or  unite  together  and  hem  in  a 
herd,  which  soon  fall  victims.  The  colonists  either 
shoot  it  or  hunt  it  with  dogs.  The  "  old  man,"  or 
"  boomer,"  as  the  colonists  call   the  Great   Kangaroo, 


52  wood's  natural  history 

invariably  leads  the  dogs  a  severe  chase,  always  at- 
tempting to  reach  water  and  escape  by  swimming.  It  is 
a  formidable  foe  to  the  dogs  when  it  stands  at  bay,  as  it 
seizes  the  dog  with  its  fore-legs,  and  either  holds  him 
under  water  until  he  is  drowned,  or  tears  him  open 
with  a  well-directed  kick  of  its  powerful  hind-feet, 
which  are  armed  with  a  very  sharp  claw. 

The  female  Kangaroo  carries  its  young  about  in  a 
kind  of  pouch,  from  which  they  emerge  when  they  wish 
for  a  little  exercise,  and  leap  back  again  on  the  slightest 
alarm.  All  the  kangaroos  and  the  opossums  have  this 
pouch. 

The  length  of  the  Great  Kangaroo  is  about  five  feet 
without  the  tail,  the  length  of  which  is  about  three  feet. 

There  are  many  species  of  Kangaroo,  the  most 
extraordinary  being  the  Tree  Kangaroo,  which  can  hop 
about  on  trees,  and  has  curved  claws  on  its  fore-paws, 
like  those  of  the  sloth,  to  enable  it  to  hold  on  the 
branches. 

The  Opossum  inhabits  North  America,  and  is  hunted 
for  the  sake  of  its  flesh.  When  it  perceives  the  hunter, 
it  lies  still  between  the  branches  ;  but  if  disturbed  from 
its  hiding  place,  it  attempts  to  escape  by  dropping 
among  the  herbage  and  creeping  silently  away. 

Its  food  consists  of  insects,  birds,  eggs,  etc.,  and  it  is 
very  destructive  among  the  hen-roosts.  The  Opossum 
uses  its  tail  for  climbing  and  swinging  from  branch  to 
branch,  and  makes  it  also  a  support  for  its  young,  who 
sit  on  its  back  and  twist  their  tails  round  their  mother's 
in  order  to  prevent  themselves  from  falling  off. 


CO 

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O 
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CA 


WOODS    NATURAL   HISTORY 


When  overtaken  by  its  pursuers,  it  can  simulate 
death  so  admirably  that  it  frequently  deceives  the 
foe.  The  length  of  the  Opossum  is  about  twenty  - 
two  inches,  and  its  height  about  that  of  an  ordinary 
cat.  When  disturbed  or  alarmed  it  gives  out  a  very 
unpleasant  odor. 


COMMON    OPOSSUM 


The  Seals  and  Whales,  although  they  are  not  fish, 
are  inhabitants  of  the  water.  The  fore-feet  of  the 
Seal  are  used  as  fins,  and  the  two  hinder  feet  almost 
as  the  tail  of  a  fish,  to  direct  its  course.  On  land  the 
movements  of  this  animal  are  very  clumsy ;  it  shuffles 
along  by  means  of  its  fore-feet,  and  drags  its  hind-feet 
after  it. 

Seals   live    during    warm    weather    mostly    in    the 


WOOD  S   NATURAL   HISTORY 


55 


cold  regions  of  the  north  and  south  poles,  and  go  into 
milder  waters  in  the  winter.  They  like  to  bask  in  the 
sun  upon  rocks,  sand-banks,  or  ice-floes.  They  can  see 
far,  and  their  sense  of  smell  is  very  sharp.  They  live 
mostly  on  mollusks,  crabs,  and  fish.  In  the  winter  they 
make  holes  in  the  ice  where  they  can  come  up  to  breathe. 


THE    GREENLAND    SEAL 


Seals  are  among  the  most  useful  of  animals  to  man. 
The  Greenlanders  use  their  flesh  for  food ;  their  oil 
for  light,  warmth,  and  cooking  ;  their  skins  for  clothes, 
boots,  and  coverings  of  boats  and  tents ;  their  sinews 
for  thread  and  fishing-lines ;  the  skins  of  the  entrails 
for  window-curtains  and  shirts ;  and  their  blood  for 
making  soup.     Seal-skins  are  an  important  article  of 


56 


WOOD  S   NATURAL   HISTORY 


commerce  and  the  seal-fishery  is  largely  carried  on 
along  the  coast  of  Newfoundland  and  Labrador  and 
also  on  the  islands  off  the  coast  of  Alaska.  The 
fur  in  its  natural  state  is  yellowish,  spotted,  and 
marked  with  brown,  and  is  unfit  for  use  until  it  is 
dyed. 


THE    C03IMON    SEAL 


The  length  of  the  common  Seal  is  about  four  or  five 
feet,  and  its  weight  often  two  hundred  and  twenty-four 
pounds. 

There  are  many  Seals  known,  among  which  are  the 
Sea  Leopard,  a  spotted  species ;  the  Harp  Seal,  so 
called  because  the  markings  on  its  back  resemble  a 
harp ;  the  Sea  Bear,  and  the  Sea  Lion. 

The  Walrus  inhabits  the  northern  seas.  Its  most 
remarkable  point  is  the  great  length  of  its  upper  ca- 
nine teeth,  which  extend  downward  for  nearly  two  feet, 


wood's  natural  history 


57 


and  resemble  the  tusks  of  the  elephant.  They  furnish 
very  fine  ivory,  and  are  extensively  used  by  dentists 
in  making  artificial  teeth.  These  tusks  are  used  by 
the  Walrus  for  climbing  the  rocks  or  heaps  of  ice, 
and  also   for  digging  up   the  sea- weeds  on  which  the 


HEAD    OF    WALRUS 


animal  mostly  subsists.     It  will  also 
eat  shrimps  and  young  seals. 

The  Walrus  is  hunted  for  the  sake 
of  its  oil,  its  flesh,  its  skin,  and  its  teeth.  Its  length  is 
about  sixteen  feet,  and  it  yields  from  twenty  to  thirty 
gallons  of  excellent  oil. 

The  Cetacea,  or  Whale  tribe,  closely  resemble  the 
fishes,  but  are  distinguished  by  possessing  warm  blood, 
and,  in  consequence,  are  forced  to  rise  at  intervals  in 
order  to  breathe  the  air. 


K; 


58  wood's  natural  history 

The  Whale  remains  under  water  for  a  time  much 
longer  than  could  be  borne  by  any  other  warm-blooded 
animal,  and  is  furnished  with  means  for  supporting 
life  during  its  stay  beneath  the  water. 

Along  the  interior  of  the  ribs  there  is  a  vast  collec- 
tion of  blood-vessels,  capable  of  containing  a  large  quan- 
tity of  blood,  having  no  immediate  connection  with  that 
portion  of  the  blood  which  is  already  circulating  in  the 
body.  As  fast  as  the  exhausted  and  poisonous  blood 
returns  from  its  work,  it  passes  into  another  reservoir 
adapted  for  its  necessities,  while  a  portion  of  the 
arterialized  blood  in  the  arterial  reservoir  passes  into 
the  circulation.  By  means  of  this  wonderful  appara- 
tus, a  Whale  can  remain  below  the  water  for  more  than 
half  an  hour  at  a  time. 

The  depths  to  which  the  Whale  can  descend  are 
astonishing,  wounded  Whales  having  been  known  to 
take  down  perpendicularly  nearly  eight  hundred  fath- 
oms of  line. 

The  great  Greenland  Whale  is  found  in  the  northern 
oceans.  Many  ships  are  annually  fitted  out  for  its  cap- 
ture. The  oil  is  obtained  from  the  thick  layer  of  fatty 
substance,  called  blubber,  which  lies  immediately  under 
the  skin ;  and  the  whalebone  is  obtained  from  the 
interior  of  the  mouth,  where  it  fringes  the  jaws,  and 
acts  as  a  sieve  for  the  Whale  to  strain  its  food  through. 
The  throat  of  the  Greenland  Whale  is  so  small  that 
the  sailors  say  that  a  penny  loaf  would  choke  a  Whale. 
The  Whale,  when  it  wishes  to  feed,  rushes  through  the 
water  with  its  immense   jaws  wide  open,  enclosing   a 


wood's  natural  history  59 

host  of  little  sea  animals  and  a  few  hogsheads  of  water. 
As  the  Whale  wants  only  the  animals,  and  not  the 
water,  it  shuts  its  mouth,  and  drives  all  the  water  out 
through  the  fringes  of  whalebone,  leaving  the  little 
creatures  in  its  jaws. 

The  Whale  shows  great  attachment  to  its  young,  which 
is  called  the  cub,  and  on  the  approach  of  danger  seizes  it 
with  its  flipper  and  carries  it  down  out  of  danger.  Its 
flippers  are  in  fact  fore-legs,  furnished  with  a  kind  of  hand 
covered  with  a  thick  skin.  The  hind-legs  are  wanting. 
The  length  of  this  Whale  averages  sixty  feet.  Its  tail 
is  placed  transversely,  and  not  vertically,  as  in  the  fishes. 

The  Cachalot,  or  Spermaceti  Whale.  This  animal 
is  not  furnished  with  "baleen,"  or  whalebone,  but  is 
armed  with  a  number  of  strong  conical  teeth,  which 
are  placed  in  the  lower  jaw,  and  which  are  often  used 
in  defending  itself  from  the  attacks  of  the  whalers' 
boats.  Besides  this  method  of  defence,  it  has  a  habit 
of  swimming  off  to  a  distance,  and  then  rushing  at  the 
boat  with  its  head,  thereby  knocking  it  to  pieces. 
One  of  these  whales  actually  sank  a  ship  by  three  or 
four  blows  from  its  head. 

Spermaceti  is  obtained  from  the  head  of  the  Cachalot. 
When  the  whale  is  killed  a  hole  is  made  in  the  upper 
part  of  the  head,  and  the  spermaceti  is  bailed  out  with 
buckets.  When  just  procured  it  is  almost  fluid,  but  is 
rendered  solid  and  transparent  by  being  first  drained 
of  its  oil,  then  boiled  in  water,  and  lastly  set  to  cool 
in  wide  pans,  where  it  soon  assumes  a  white,  flaky 
appearance.     The  skull  of  the  Cachalot  occupies  only 


GO  wood's  natural  history 

a  small  portion  of  the  head,  the  mass  at  the  end  of  the 
mouth  being  composed  of  a  gristly  kind  of  substance. 
The  bone  of  the  upper  jaw  runs  backward  nearly- 
straight  until  just  before  the  eyes,  when  it  joins  the 
remainder  of  the  skull  with  a  bold  sweep.  That  part 
of  the  skull  is  called  "  Neptune's  Chair,"  and  is  the 
part  where  the  spermaceti  is  found.  The  layer  of 
blubber  is  thin,  but  yields  a  fine  and  valuable  oil. 
Ambergris,  so  long  a  riddle  to  all  inquirers,  is  now 
found  to  be  produced  in  the  interior  of  the  Cachalot. 
This  substance  is  of  the  consistency  of  wax,  inflam- 
mable, and  gives  out  a  kind  of  musky  odor.  The 
length  of  this  whale  is  about  seventy  feet. 

Those  readers  who  have  formed  their  ideas  of  Dol- 
phins from  the  very  graceful  and  elegant  creatures 
represented  under  that  name  in  the  pictures  of  the 
"  old  masters,"  or  the  statues  of  the  ancient  sculptors, 
will  find  that  the  real  animal  differs  much  from  the 
ideal.  The  Dolphin  is,  like  the  whale,  a  warm-blooded 
animal,  suckles  its  young,  and  is  forced  to  come  to  the 
surface  in  order  to  breathe.  Its  snout  is  very  long, 
and  is  apparently  used  for  capturing  such  fish,  and 
other  animals,  as  live  in  the  mud.  The  length  is  from 
six  to  ten  feet.     Several  species  are  known. 

The  Porpoise.  These  animals  may  be  observed  in 
plenty  playing  their  absurd  antics  off  every  coast  of 
America.  They  frequent  greatly  the  mouths  of  rivers, 
because  they  find  more  food  there  than  in  the  open  sea. 
They  tumble  at  the  surface  of  the  water  for  the  purpos 
of  breathing. 


p 

Hi 


62 


wood's  natural  history 


Iii  old  times  the  Porpoise  constituted  one  of  the 
standard  delicacies  of  a  public  feast,  but  it  has  long 
since  been  deposed  from  its  rank  at  the  table,  as  its 
flesh  has  a  very  strong  oily  flavor. 


NARWHALS 


It  feeds  on  various  fishes,  but  its  great  feasts  are 
held  when  the  shoals  of  herrings,  pilchards,  and  other 
fish  arrive  on  the  coasts.  The  teeth  are  very  numer- 
ous, and  interlock  when  the  jaws  are  closed,  so  that 
the  fish  when  once  seized  cannot  escape.     Its  length  is 


wood's  natural  history  63 

about  five  feet,  its  color  a  rich  black,  becoming  white 
on  the  under  side. 

The  Narwhal  has  one  visible  tusk,  which  used  to  be 
sold  at  a  very  high  price  as  the  real  horn  of  the  unicorn. 
Of  course,  when  the  whale  fishery  was  established,  the 
real  owner  of  the  horn  was  discovered. 

The  Narwhal  possesses  two  tusks,  one  on  each  side  of 
its  head.  Only  the  left  tusk  projects,  the  other  remain- 
ing within  the  head.  Sometimes  a  specimen  has  been 
found  with  both  tusks  projecting,  and  some  think  that 
when  the  left  tusk  has  been  broken  off  by  accident,  the 
right  one  becomes  large  enough  to  supply  its  place. 

Its  body  is  from  thirty  to  forty  feet  in  length,  and 
its  tusk  from  five  to  nine. 

The  Roclentia,  or  gnawing  animals,  are  so  called 
from  their  habit  of  gnawing  the  substances  on  which 
they  feed.  For  this  purpose  their  teeth  are  admirably 
formed.  In  the  front  of  each  jaw  there  are  two  long 
flat  teeth,  slightly  curved,  and  having  a  kind  of  chisel 
edge  for  rasping  away  wood  or  other  articles. 

The  constant  labor  which  these  teeth  undergo  would 
rapidly  wear  them  away.  To  counteract  this  loss,  the 
teeth  are  constantly  growing  and  being  pushed  forward, 
so  that  as  fast  as  the  upper  part  is  worn  away,  the 
tooth  is  replenished  from  below. 

The  Brown  Rat,  sometimes  called  the  Norway  Rat, 
is  the  species  usually  found  in  England  and  America. 
It  is  at  all  times  difficult  to  get  rid  of  these  dirty, 
noisy  animals,  for  they  soon  learn  to  keep  out  of  the 
way  of  traps  ;  and  if  they  are  poisoned  they  revenge 


64 


WOOD  S    NATURAL   HISTORY 


their  fate  by  dying  behind  a  wainscot  or  under  a  plank 
of  the  floor,  and  make  the  room  uninhabitable. 

The  Common  Mouse  is  so  well  known  that  a  de- 
scription of  its  form  and  size  is  useless.  It  almost 
rivals  the  rat  in  its  attacks  upon  our  provisions,  and  is 
quite  as  difficult  to  extirpate.  It  brings  up  its  young 
in  a  kind  of  nest,  and  when  a  board  of  long  standing 
is  taken  up  in  a  room  it  is  not  uncommon  to  find  under 
it  a  Mouse's  nest,  composed  of  rags,  string,  paper,  shav- 
ings, and  everything  that  the  ingenious  little  architect 
can  scrape  together.  It  is  a  round  mass,  looking  some- 
thing like  a  rag  ball  very  loosely  made.  When  opened, 
seven  or  eight  little  Mice  will  probably  be  found  in  the 
interior  —  little  pink  transparent  creatures,  three  of 
which  could  go  into  a  lady's  thimble,  sprawling  about 
in  an  unmeaning  manner,  apparently  greatly  distressed 
at  the  sudden  cold  caused  by  the  opening  of  their 
nest. 

A  white  variety  of  Mouse  is  tolerably  common,  and 
is  usually  bred  in  cages.  As  it  is  very  tame  and 
beautiful,  it  is  in  some  repute  as  a  pet. 

The  Harvest  Mouse  is  very  much  smaller  than  the 
ordinary  mouse.  Its  nest  is  raised  about  a  foot  and 
a  half  from  the  ground,  and  supported  on  two  or  three 
straws.  The  nest  is  made  of  grass,  about  the  size  of 
a  baseball. 

The  Water  Rat  is  very  common  on  banks  of  rivers, 
brooks,  etc.  It  does  not  eat  fish  ;  but  gnaws  the  green 
bark  from  reeds,  which  it  completely  strips,  leaving  the 
mark  oi  each  tooth  as  it  proceeds. 


BEAVERS   AT   WORK. 


fc: 


66  wood's  natural  history 

The  Beaver.  North  America  is  the  principal  country 
where  the  Beaver  is  found,  but  it  is  also  to  be  found  on 
the  Euphrates,  and  along  some  of  the  larger  European 
rivers,  as  the  Rhone  and  the  Danube. 

The  houses  of  the  Beaver  are  built  of  mud,  stones, 
and  sticks.  They  are  placed  in  a  stream,  and  their 
entrance  is  always  below  the  surface.  As  a  severe 
frost  would  freeze  up  their  doors,  it  is  necessary  to 
make  the  stream  deep  enough  to  prevent  the  frost 
from  reaching  the  entrances.  This  object  is  attained 
by  building  a  dam  across  the  river,  to  keep  back  the 
water  until  it  is  sufficiently  deep  for  the  Beaver's  pur- 
poses. The  dam  is  made  of  branches  which  the  Beaver 
cuts  down  with  its  strong,  sharp  teeth,  and  mud  and  stones 
worked  in  among  the  branches.  The  Beavers  throw 
these  branches  into  the  water,  and  sink  them  to  the 
bottom  by  means  of  stones,  and  by  continually  throwing 
in  fresh  supplies  a  strong  embankment  is  soon  made. 

The  mud  and  stones  used  in  their  embankments 
are  not  carried  on  their  tails,  as  some  say,  nor  do  the 
Beavers  use  their  tails  as  trowels  for  laying  on  the 
mud,  the  fact  being  that  the  stones  and  mud  are  car- 
ried between  their  chin  and  fore-paws,  and  the  mis- 
take respecting  the  tail  is  evidently  caused  by  the  slap 
that  Beavers  give  with  that  member  when  they  dive. 

Every  year  the  Beavers  lay  a  fresh  coating  of  mud 
upon  their  houses,  so  that  after  the  lapse  of  a  few  years 
the  walls  of  the  house  are  several  feet  in  thickness. 
Many  of  the  houses  are  built  close  together,  but  no  two 
families  can  communicate  with  each  other,  except  by 


Jaguae. 


wood's  natural  htstort  67 

diving  below  the  walls  and  rising  inside  their  neigh- 
bors' houses. 

When  in  captivity  the  Beaver  soon  becomes  tame,  and 
will  industriously  build  dams  across  the  corner  of  a  room 
with  brushes,  boots,  fire-irons,  books,  or  anything  it  can 
find.  When  its  edifice  is  finished,  it  sits  in  the  centre 
apparently  satisfied  that  it  has  made  a  beautiful  struc- 
ture to  dam  up  the  river  —  a  proof  that  the  ingenuity 
of  the  Beaver  is  not  caused  by  reason,  but  by  instinct. 

The  fur  of  the  Beaver,  like  that  of  many  other 
animals,  consists  of  a  fine  wool  intermixed  with  long 
and  stiff  hairs.     Its  length  is  about  three  and  a  half  feet. 

The  Common  Porcupine  is  found  in  America,  Africa, 
Tartary,  Persia,  India,  and  some  parts  of  Europe.  It 
lives  in  holes,  which  it  digs  in  the- ground,  and  only 
comes  forth  at  night  in  order  to  feed.  It  eats  vege- 
table substances  only,  such  as  roots,  bark,  and  other 
similar  substances.  The  array  of  spines  or  quills  with 
which  this  animal  is  covered  forms  its  principal  means 
of  defence.  Occasionally  a  loose  quill  falls  on  the 
ground,  which  gave  rise  to  the  error  that  the  Porcu- 
pine could  dart  its  weapons  at  its  adversary  from  a 
distance.  There  are  two  kinds  of  these  quills  —  one 
kind  long  and  curved,  the  other  short,  thick,  and 
pointed.  These  last  are  the  weapons  of  defence,  as 
the  former  are  too  .slender  to  do  much  service. 

The  American  Indians  use  the  quills  extracted  from 
the  Canada  Porcupine,  a  species  living  on  trees,  for 
ornamenting  various  parts  of  their  dress,  especially 
their  moccasins   or   skin   shoes.      The   length   of   the 


68  wood's  xatueal  history 

Porcupine  is  about  two  feet,  and  its  quills  are  from 
six  to  fourteen  inches  long. 

The  Capybara,  or  Chiguira,  looks  very  like  a  pig, 
and  its  skin  is  covered  thinly  with  hairs  like  bristles. 
It  inhabits  the  borders  of  lakes  and  rivers  in  many 
parts  of  South  America.  During  the  day  it  hides 
among  the  thick  herbage  of  the  banks,  only  wander- 
ing forth  to  feed  at  night,  but  when  alarmed,  it  in- 
stantly makes  for  the  water,  and  escapes  by  diving.  It 
is  hunted  for  the  sake  of  its  flesh,  which  is  said  to 
be  remarkably  good.  The  food  of  the  Capybara  con- 
sists of  grass,  vegetables,  and  fruits.  Its  length  is 
about  three  feet  six  inches. 

The  Guinea-pig,  or  Restless  Cavy,  was  originally 
brought  from  South  America,  and  is  frequently  domes- 
ticated. Its  beauty  is  its  only  recommendation,  as  it 
shows  little  intelligence  and  is  never  used  for  food. 
Children  are  fond  of  keeping  them,  as  they  are  easy 
to  manage,  and  do  not  make  much  noise.  They  are 
popularly  supposed  to  keep  off  rats. 

The  Hare  when  full-grown  is  larger  than  the  rabbit,  and 
exceedingly  like  that  animal.  But  its  color  is  slightly 
different.  The  Hare  makes  a  kind  of  nest  of  grass  and 
other  materials.  In  this  nest,  called  a  "form,"  the  Hare 
lies,  crouching  to  the  ground,  its  ears  laid  along  its  back ; 
and  trusting  to  its  concealment,  will  often  remain  quiet 
until  the  foot  of  an  intruder  almost  touches  it. 

In  cold  countries  the  Hare  changes  its  fur  during 
winter,  and  becomes  white,  like  the  Arctic  fox  and 
the  ermine. 


wood's  natural  history 


69 


The  Rabbit  is  smaller  than  the  hare,  but  resembles  it  in 
form.     It  lives  in  deep  holes,  which  it  digs  in  the  ground. 

The  female  Rabbit  forms  a  soft  nest  at  the  bottom 
of  her  burrow,  composed  of  fur  torn  from  her  body, 
of  hay  and  dried  leaves.  Here  the  young  rabbits  are 
kept  until  they  are  strong  enough  to  shift  for  them- 
selves, and  make  their  own  burrows. 


THE    JEKIiOA 


The  tame  Rabbit  is  only  a  variety,  rendered  larger  by 
careful  feeding  and  attendance. 

The  Jerboas  are  celebrated  for  their  powers  of  leap- 
ing. Their  long  hind  legs  enable  them  to  take  enor- 
mous springs,  during  which  their  tails  serve  to  balance 
them.  Indeed,  a  Jerboa  when  deprived  of  his  tail  is 
afraid  to  leap. 


70  wood's  natural  history 


The  foot  of  the  Jerboa  is  defended  by  long  bristly 
hairs,  which  not  only  give  the  creature  a  firm  hold 
of  the  ground  for  its  spring,  but  also  defend  the  foot 
from  the  burning  soil  on  which  it  lives. 

Grain  and  bulbous  roots  are  its  chief  food  ;  while 
eating,  it  holds  the  food  with  its  fore-paws,  and  sits 
upright  on  its  haunches,  like  the  squirrels  and  marmots. 

The  Dormouse  is  very  common  in  all  the  warmer 
parts  of  Europe.  It  lives  in  brushwood,  through 
which  it  makes  its  way  with  such  rapidity  that  it  is 
very  difficult  to  be  captured.  During  the  winter  it 
lies  torpid,  but  takes  care  to  have  a  stock  of  food  laid 
up,  on  which  it  feeds  during  the  few  interruptions  to 
its  slumbers.  A  warm  day  in  winter  will  usually 
rouse  it,  but  during  the  cold  weather  it  lies  rolled 
up.  It  lives  principally  on  nuts,  acorns,  and  grain. 
It  brings  up  its  young  in  a  nest  of  leaves  and  hay. 

The  Squirrel  is  a  very  common  animal  in  woods, 
where  numbers  may  be  seen  frisking  about  on  the 
branches,  or  running  up  and  down  the  trunks.  If 
alarmed  it  springs  up  the  tree  with  extraordinary 
activity,  and  hides  behind  a  branch.  By  this  trick 
it  escapes  its  enemy  the  hawk,  and  by  constantly  slip- 
ping behind  the  large  branches  frequently  tires  him 
out.  The  activity  and  daring  of  this  little  animal 
are  extraordinary.  When  pursued,  it  makes  the  most 
astonishing  leaps  from  branch  to  branch,  or  from  tree 
to  tree,  and  has  apparently  some  method  of  altering 
its  direction  while  in  the  air,  possibly  by  means  of  its 
tail  acting  as  a  rudder. 


wood's  natural  history  71 


It  is  easily  domesticated,  and  is  very  amusing  in  its 
habits  when  suffered  to  go  at  large  in  a  room  or  kept 
in  a  spacious  cage ;  but  when  confined  in  a  little 
cramped  box,  especially  in  one  of  the  cruel  wheel 
cages,  its  energies  and  playfulness  are  quite  lost. 

The  color  is  a  deep  reddish-brown  or  gray,  and  its 
tail  so  large  and  bushy  as  to  shade  its  whole  body 
when  carried  curled  over  its  back. 

The  Ox.  The  Ruminants,  or  animals  that  chew  the 
cud,  include  the  oxen,  sheep,  and  goats,  deer,  giraffe, 
and  camels.  They  have  a  peculiar  construction  of 
stomach,  which  receives  the  freshly  gathered  food, 
retains  it  for  some  hours,  and  then  passes  it  back  into 
the  mouth  to  be  remasticated. 

The  Ox  is  spread  widely  over  the  earth,  scarcely  any 
country  being  without  its  peculiar  breed.  In  this  coun- 
try, where  it  is  our  most  useful  domesticated  animal, 
there  are  many  breeds.  Each  of  these  breeds  has  its 
peculiar  value :  some  fatten  easily,  and  are  kept  espe- 
cially for  the  butcher ;  others  give  milk,  and  are  valu- 
able for  the  dairy.  The  best  dairy  cow  is  the  Alderney, 
a  small,  short-horned  animal,  furnishing  exceedingly 
rich  milk. 

Oxen  are  often  used  to  draw  wagons,  or  to  drag  the 
plough.  They  are  not  so  strong  as  horses,  and  their 
movements  are  much  slower. 

Every  part  of  the  Ox  is  of  value.  We  eat  his  flesh, 
we  wear  shoes  soled  with  his  skin,  our  candles  are 
made  from  his  fat,  our  tables  are  joined  with  glue 
made  from  his  hoofs,  his  hair  is  mixed  with  the  mortar 


72 


wood's  natural  history 


of  our   walls,  his  horns  are   made  into   combs,  knife  - 
handles,  drinking  cups,  etc.  ;  his  bones  are  used  as  a 


THE    AMERICAN    BISON 


cheap  substitute  for  ivory,  and  soup  is  made  from  his 

tail. 

The  young  Ox  is  called  a  calf,  and  is  quite  as  useful 
in  its  way  as  the  full-grown  Ox.     The  flesh  is  termed 


WOOD'S  NATURAL   HISTORY  73 

veal,  and  by  many  preferred  to  the  flesh  of  the  Ox  or 
Cow,  which  is  called  beef ;  jelly  is  made  from  its  feet.: 
The  stomach  is  salted  and  dried,  and  is  named  rennet. 
Cheese  is  made  by  soaking  a  piece  of  rennet  in  water, 
and  pouring  it  into  a  vessel  of  milk.  The  milk  soon 
forms  a  curd,  which  is  placed  in  a  press,  and  the  watery 
substance,  called  whey,  squeezed  from  it.  The  curd  is 
colored  and  salted,  and  is  then  cheese. 

The  Cape  Buffalo  is  a  native  of  South  Africa.  It  is 
ferocious  and  cunning,  often  lurking  among  the  trees 
until  an  unsuspecting  traveller  approaches,  and  then 
rushing  on  him  and  destroying  him.  The  ferocious 
creature  is  not  content  with  killing  its  victim,  but 
stands  over  him  mangling  him  with  its  horns,  and 
stamping  on  him  with  its  feet. 

The  Bison,  or  Buffalo,  used  to  roam  the  plains  o£ 
prairies  of  North  America  in  countless  multitudes. 
But  since  the  opening  up  of  the  West  by  railroads  it 
has  been  almost  exterminated,  only  a  small  herd  being 
preserved  in  the  Yellowstone  Park  by  the  United  States 
Government,  and  a  few  specimens  in  zoological  gardens. 
A  small  herd  or  two  remain  in  Canada. 

The  Buffalo  is  a  giant  among  American  animals. 
Its  bulk,  shaggy  mane,  vicious  eye,  and  sullen  behavior 
give  it  a  ferocious  appearance,  but  it  is  really  a  mild, 
inoffensive  beast,  sluggish  and  stupid.  It  is  about 
eight  to  nine  feet  from  head  to  tail,  and  seven  feet 
from  the  ground  to  the  shoulder.  The  flesh  is  good 
eating,  especially  the  hump.  The  cow  is  smaller  than 
the  bull,  and  can  run  faster. 


74 


WOOD  S   NATURAL    HISTORY 


The  Yak  inhabits  Tartary.  The  tail  is  very  long 
and  fine,  and  is  used  in  India  as  a  whisk  to  keep 
off    the    mosquitoes.       From    the    shoulders    a    mass 


|aSHBS2x£ 


.rv.:-  -r~ 


THE    GXOO 


of  long  hair  falls  almost  to  the  ground,  something 
like  the  mane  of  a  lion.  The  Tartars  weave  it  into 
cloth. 

The  Gnoo,  or  Wildebeest,  inhabits  Southern  Africa. 
The  horns,  sweeping  downward  over  the  face,  turn 
boldly  upward  with  a  sharp  curve.     The  neck  is  fur- 


wood's  natural  history  75 

nished  with  a  mane  like  that  of  the  horse,  and  the  legs 
are  formed  like  those  of  the  stag.  In  size  it  is  about 
four  feet  in  height. 

The  Koodoo  is  a  native  of  South  Africa.  It  is 
remarkable  for  its  beautifully  shaped  horns,  which  are 
about  four  feet  in  length  and  twisted  into  a  large  spiral 
of  about  two  turns  and  a  half. 

The  Gazelle,  so  famous  in  poetry,  inhabits  Arabia 
and  Syria.  Its  eyes  are  very  large,  dark,  and  lus- 
trous. The  color  of  this  pretty  little  animal  is  a 
dark  yellowish-brown  fading  into  white  on  the  under 
parts. 

The  Chamois  is  found  only  in  mountainous  regions. 
It  lives  on  the  loftiest  ridges,  displaying  wonderful 
activity  in  leaping  with  certainty  and  security  on 
places  where  there  is  hardly  room  for  its  feet. 

The  Ibex  in  the  Alpine  regions  of  Europe  has  mag- 
nificent horns,  which  sweep  from  the  head  almost  to 
the  haunches.  The  horns  are  immensely  strong,  serv- 
ing to  break  the  fall  of  the  Ibex  when  it  makes  a  leap 
from  a  height.  Its  height  is  two  feet  six  inches ;  the 
length  of  its  horns  often  three  feet. 

The  common  Goat  is  not  in  much  request  in  Amer- 
ica, but  in  some  other  countries  large  herds  are  kept 
for  the  sake  of  their  milk.  The  most  celebrated 
variety  of  this  animal  is  the  Cashmere  Goat,  which 
furnishes  the  fine  wool  from  which  Cashmere  shawls 
are  made. 

The  Sheep.  There  are  many  kinds  of  Sheep, 
among    which    the    common    Sheep,    the    long-tailed 


76 


wood's  natural  history 


Sheep,  and  the  Wallachian  Sheep  are  the  mogt  con- 
spicuous.  California  produces  better  wool  than  any 
other  country 


K 


THE    CHAMOIS 


The  long-tailed  Sheep  inhabits  Syria  and  Egypt, 
Its  tail  is  so  large  and  so  loaded  with  fat  that  to  pre- 
vent it  from  being  injured  by  dragging  on  the  ground 


Alpine  Ibex. 


78 


WOODS    NATURAL    HISTORY 


a  board  is  fastened  to  the  under  side  of  it,  and  wheels 
are  often  attached  to  the  board. 

The  hair  of  the  Wallachian  Sheep  is  long  and  silky 
like  that  of  a  spaniel,  and  of  great  length,  falling  almost 
to  the  ground. 


THE    BIGHOKN    SHEEP 


The  Bighorn  has  the  body  of  a  deer  and  the  head  of 
a  sheep.  Its  horns  are  of  an  enormous  size,  and  make 
a  large  semicircular  curve  backward.  The  head  and 
horns  often  weigh  sixty  pounds.  Its  hair  is  short  and 
gray,  but  in  the  fall  changes  to  dun  and  becomes  longer, 


wood's  natural  history  79 

while  in  winter  a  layer  of  fine  wool,  which  never  shows 
outside  the  hair,  grows  close  to  the  skin.  It  is  found 
in  troops  of  twenty  or  thirty  in  rocky  districts,  which 
it  leaves  only  to  get  water.  It  is  very  shy  and  takes 
flight  at  the  first  appearance  of  a  man.  Its  flesh  is  in 
good  condition  from  August  till  November.  General 
Dodge  says  if  one  can  imagine  a  saddle  of  Southdown 
mutton  flavored  with  the  gamey  juices  of  the  black-tail 
deer,  he  will  form  some  idea  of  a  feast  of  mountain 
sheep  in  season. 

The  Giraffe.  This  beautiful  animal  is  found  only  in 
South  Africa.  Its  height  varies  from  thirteen  to  eigh- 
teen feet.  Its  beautiful  long  neck  enables  it  to  browse 
on  the  leaves  of  the  trees  on  which  it  feeds.  It  is  very 
dainty  while  feeding,  and  plucks  the  leaves  one  by  one 
with  its  flexible  tongue.  The  skin  is  an  inch  and  a 
half  in  thickness. 

The  Giraffe  has  much  difficulty  in  reaching  the 
ground  with  its  mouth.  It  straddles  widely  with  its 
fore-legs,  and  with  some  trouble  succeeds  in  reaching 
the  object  aimed  at. 

The  movements  of  the  Giraffe  are  very  peculiar,  the 
limbs  of  each  side  appearing  to  act  together.  It  is 
very  swift,  and  can  outrun  a  horse,  especially  if  it  can 
get  among  broken  ground  and  rocks,  over  which  it  leaps 
with  a  succession  of  frog-like  hops. 

The  Camel.  The  Bactrian  Camel  has  two  humps  on 
its  back,  the  Arabian  Camel  only  one. 

The  Camel  forms  the  principal  wealth  of  the  Arab, 
and  its   power  of   drinking   at  one  draught  sufficient 


80  wood's  natural  history 

water  to  serve  it  for  several  clays  enables  it  to  march 
from  station  to  station  without  requiring  to  drink  by 
the  way. 


THE    BACTRIAN    CAMEL 


The  foot  of  the  Camel  is  admirably  adapted  for  walk- 
ing on  the  loose  sand,  being  composed  of  large  elastic 
pads,  which  spread  as  the  foot  is  placed  on  the  ground. 
To  guard  it  from  injury  when  it  kneels  down  to  be 
loaded,  the  parts  of  the  body  on  which  its  weight  rests 
are  defended  by  thick  callosities.     The  largest  of  these 


GIRAFFES. 


82  wood's  natural  history 

callosities  is  on  the  chest ;  the  others  are  placed  on  the 
joints  of  the  legs. 

The  Llamas,  of  which  there  are  several  species, 
inhabit  South  America,  and  are  used  for  the  same 
purpose  as  the  camel.  When  wild  they  are  very  timid, 
and  fly  from  a  pursuer  the  moment  that  they  see  him ; 
but  their  curiosity  is  so  great  that  the  hunter  often 
secures  them  by  lying  on  the  ground  and  throwing  his 
legs  and  arms  about.  The  Llamas  come  to  see  what 
the  extraordinary  animal  can  be,  and  give  the  hunter 
an  opportunity  of  firing  several  shots,  which  the  as- 
tonished animals  consider  as  part  of  the  performance. 
The  Llama  can  go  for  several  days  without  requir- 
ing to  drink.  The  fleece  is  very  long  and  more  resem- 
bling silk  than  wool,  and  is  sometimes  twelve  inches  in 
length. 

The  Red  Deer  or  Stag  is  the  largest  of  the  deer.  It 
bears  different  names  according  to  the  size  of  its  horns, 
which  increase  year  by  year.  All  the  males  have  horns, 
which  they  shed  every  year,  and  renew  again.  Hunt- 
ing the  Stag  is  a  very  favorite  amusement  in  some 
countries,  and  packs  of  hounds,  called  stag-hounds,  are 
kept  expressly  for  that  purpose. 

The  Virginia  Deer  is  remarkable  for  its  peculiar 
horns,  which  bend  boldy  backward  and  then  suddenly 
curve  forward.  Its  color  is  reddish-brown  in  spring 
and  dull  brown  in  winter.  It  is  found  everywhere 
from  Canada  to  Mexico  and  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  It  is  a  very  good  swimmer,  and 
loves  to  go  into  deep  water  to  get  rid  of  ticks  and  other 


wood's  natural  history 


83 


insects.  When  it  is  near  settled  districts  it  will  leap 
fences  and  browse  on  the  crops,  but  at  other  times  feeds 
on  the  young  grasses  of  the  plains.     In  the  months  of 


THE    LLAMA 


August,  September,  and  October  it  is  very  fat  and  the 
venison  is  very  fine.  It  is  fond  of  salt,  and  resorts  in 
great  numbers  to  salt-licks.  The  skin  of  the  Deer  is 
very  valuable,  and  is  used  to  form  the  greater  part  of 
the  Indian's  dress. 


84 


wood's  natural  history 


K: 


The  Fallow  Deer  are  usually  seen  in  parks,  where 
they  congregate  in  large  herds.  They  are  generally 
tame,  and   will   suffer   people   to   come  very  close   to 


THE    VIRGINIA    DEER 


them.  They  soon  become  familiar  with  those  who 
treat  them  with  kindness,  and  will  eat  from  their 
hands. 

The  Reindeer  is  found  throughout  the  Arctic  regions 


Camel. 


80 


WOOD  8    NATURAL    HISTORY 


of  Europe,  Asia,  and  America.  A  Laplander  in  good 
circumstances  possesses  about  three  or  four  hundred 
deer,  which  enable  him  to  live  in  comfort.    The  subsist- 


A   FAMILY   OF   ELK 


ence  of  one  who  possesses  only  one  hundred  is  very 
precarious,  and  he  who  has  only  fifty  usually  joins  his 
animals  with  the  herd  of  some  richer  man,  and  takes 
the  menial  labors  upon  himself. 


wood's  natukal  history  8 


The  Reindeer  feeds  principally  on  a  kind  of  lichen, 
which  it  scrapes  from  beneath  the  snow.  During  the 
winter  its  coat  thickens,  and  assumes  a  lighter  hue, 
many  deer  being  almost  white.  Its  hoofs  are  divided 
very  high,  so  that  when  the  animal  places  its  foot  on 
the  ground  the  hoof  spreads  wide,  and  as  it  raises 
the  foot  a  snapping  noise  is  heard,  caused  by  the 
parts  of  the  hoof  closing  together.  When  harnessed 
to  a  sledge  it  can  draw  two  hundred  and  fifty  to 
three  hundred  pounds'  weight  at  about  ten  miles  an 
hour. 

The  European  Moose  inhabits  the  northern  parts  of 
Europe.  It  was  considered  at  one  time  to  be  identical 
with  the  American  elk,  but  naturalists  now  believe  it  to 
be  a  distinct  animal.  Its  usual  pace  is  a  high,  awkward 
trot,  but  when  frightened  it  sometimes  gallops.  It  is 
very  strong,  and  can  destroy  a  wolf  with  a  single  blow 
of  its  large  and  powerful  horns. 

Like  the  reindeer,  the  Moose  makes  a  great  clattering 
with  its  hoofs  when  in  rapid  motion.  It  is  a  good 
swimmer,  and  is  fond  of  taking  to  the  water  in  summer- 
time. It  is  rather  dangerous  when  incensed,  as  it 
fights  desperately  with  its  horns  and  hoofs. 


We  now  arrive  at  the  thick-skinned  animals  which 
do  not  chew  the  cud.  The  first  on  the  list  is  the  Horse. 
The  Arabian  Horse  is  a  model  of  elegance  and  beauty. 
The  Arab  treats  his  Horse  as  one  of  the  family  ;  it  lives 
in  the  same   tent  with   him,  eats  from   his  hand,  and 


wood's  natural  history 


89 


sleeps  among  his  children,  who  tumble  about  on  it  with- 
out any  fear. 

A  Horse  in  Norwich,  Vt.,  was  sold  to  a  man  in  Ox- 
ford, N.H.  As  he  was  being  taken  from  the  wagon 
one  evening  he  slipped  away  from  his  new  owner  and 


ENGLISH    RACE    HORSE 


disappeared  at  a  gallop.  In  six  hours  he  reached  his 
old  home,  having  crossed  the  Connecticut  River  and 
travelled  twenty-seven  miles  in  the  darkness,  over  a 
road  he  had  not  seen  since  he  was  a  colt. 

The  English  Horse,  from  which  the  best  Horses  in 
the  United  States  have  come,  has  much  Arabian  and 
Barb  blood  in  it.     The  Race  Horse  is  swifter  for  short 


90  wood's  natural  history 

distances  than  the  best  Arabian  Horse.  It  is  much  like 
the  Arabian  in  looks,  but  is  taller  and  longer,  and  has 
changed  in  color. 

The  Trotting  Horse  of  the  United 'States  and  Canada 
is  the  fastest  in  the  world.  It  is  not  usually  as  tall  as 
the  Running  Horse.  There  is  also  a  breed  of  Trotting 
Horses  in  Russia,  called  Orloff  Trotter,  which  is  faster 
than  common  horses,  but  not  so  fast  as  the  American 
Trotter. 

The  Percheron  Horses  are  much  used  for  drawing 
omnibuses  and  business  wagons.  They  are  large,  heav}7 
Horses,  with  large  heads.  In  England  the  breeds 
called  the  Suffolk,  the  Cleveland  Bay,  and  the  Clydes- 
dale are  noted  for  their  size  and  strength.  The  Flan- 
ders Horse,  of  Belgium  and  Holland,  is  very  large, 
heavy,  and  strong. 

Ponies  are  found  in  many  countries.  Among  the 
most  noted  are  the  Shetland  Ponies.  The  Indians  of 
the  western  parts  of  the  United  States  have  a  breed 
of  Ponies  which  are  very  hardy  and  strong.  One  of 
them  will  travel  all  day  long  with  a  heavy  man  on 
its  back. 

The  Ass  is  scarcely  less  serviceable  to  man  than  the 
horse.  In  Asia,  where  it  is  properly  treated,  it  is  an 
elegant  and  spirited  animal  with  good  action  and  smooth 
coat. 

The  Zebra  is  found  in  South  Africa.  This  beautiful 
animal  lives  in  troops  among  the  mountains,  shunning 
the  presence  of  man.  It  is  a  very  conspicuous  animal, 
and  easily  distinguished  by  the  regular  stripes  of  brown- 


I 


'      ;"  "  "■- 

'        '  '  -     nilJL 


y. 


wood's  natural  history  91 

ish-black  with  which  its  body  is  covered  even  down  to 
the  hoofs.  Its  voice  is  very  peculiar  and  can  hardly 
be  described. 

The  Elephant.  Of  this  magnificent  animal,  whose 
form  is  familiar  to  every  eye,  two  species  are  known, 
the  Indian  and  the  African.  The  anatomy  of  this  huge 
quadruped  is  well  worthy  of  consideration.  Its  head 
and  tasks  are  so  very  heavy  that  no  long  neck  would 
bear  them  ;  the  neck  is  therefore  very  short.  But  this 
shortness  of  neck  prevents  the  Elephant  from  putting 
its  head  to  the  ground,  or  from  stooping  to  the  water's 
edge.  This  apparent  defect  is  compensated  by  the  won- 
derful manner  in  which  its  upper  lip  and  nose  are 
elongated,  and  rendered  capable  of  drawing  up  water 
or  plucking  grass.  In  the  proboscis  or  trunk  there  are 
about  forty  thousand  muscles,  enabling  the  Elephant  to 
shorten,  lengthen,  coil  up,  or  move  in  any  direction 
this  most  extraordinary  organ.  The  trunk  is  pierced 
throughout  its  length  by  two  canals,  through  which 
liquids  can  be  drawn  by  suction.  If  the  Elephant 
wishes  to  drink,  after  drawing  the  liquid  into  its 
trunk,  it  inserts  the  end  of  its  proboscis  into  its  mouth, 
and  discharges  the  contents  down  its  throat  ;  but  if  it 
merely  wishes  to  wash  itself  or  play,  it  blows  the  con- 
tained liquid  from  the  trunk  with  great  violence. 
Through  the  trunk  the  curious  trumpet-like  voice  of 
the  Elephant  is  produced.  At  the  extremity  is  a  finger- 
like appendage,  with  which  it  can  pick  up  small  objects. 
In  order  to  sustain  the  muscles  of  the  jaw  and  neck,  the 
head  must  be  very  large  :  were  it  solid,  it  would  be  very 


wood's  NATURAL  HISTORY  93 

heavy.  The  skull  is  therefore  formed  of  a  number  of 
cells  of  bone,  forming  the  necessary  expanse  without 
the  weight,  leaving  but  a  very  small  cavity  for  the 
brain. 

This  fact  will  account  for  the  numberless  bullet 
wounds  which  an  Elephant  will  endure  in  the  skull. 
The  ball,  instead  of  penetrating  to  the  brain,  merely 
lodges  among  the  bony  cells,  and  does  no  great  mischief. 
Not  long  since,  a  ball  was  found  firmly  embedded  in 
the  tusk  of  an  Elephant  ;  it  was  thoroughly  impacted, 
and  there  was  no  apparent  opening  by  which  it  could 
have  reached  the  place  that  it  occupied.  It  was  after- 
ward found  that  the  ball  had  struck  the  Elephant  at 
the  base  of  the  tusk,  so  as  to  have  sunk  among  the  soft 
and  as  yet  unformed  ivory.  This  by  degrees  was 
pushed  on  as  the  tusk  grew  in  successive  years,  until  it 
was  at  last  surrounded  by  hard  ivory.  A  spear-head 
has  been  also  found  similarly  embedded. 

The  Indian  Elephant  is  almost  invariably  taken  from 
its  native  haunts  and  then  trained.  The  Indian  hunters 
proceed  into  the  woods  with  two  trained  female  Ele- 
phants. These  advance  quietly,  and  by  their  blandish- 
ments so  occupy  the  attention  of  any  unfortunate  male 
that  they  meet  that  the  hunters  are  enabled  to  tie  his 
legs  together  and  fasten  him  to  a  tree.  His  treacherous 
companions  now  leave  him  to  struggle  in  impotent 
rage,  until  he  is  so  subdued  by  hunger  and  fatigue 
that  the  hunters  can  drive  him  home  between  their 
*wo  tame  Elephants.  When  once  captured  he  is  easily 
trained. 


94  wood's  natural  history 

In  captivity,  it  is  very  docile  and  gentle,  but  some- 
times, when  provoked,  will  take  a  very  ample  revenge. 
Of  this  propensity  many  anecdotes  are  told. 

The  tusks  and  teeth  of  the  Elephant  furnish  exceed- 
ingly fine  ivory,  which  is  used  for  various  purposes, 
such  as  knife-handles,  combs,  billiard  balls,  etc.  There 
is  a  great  art  in  making  a  billiard  ball.  Some  parts  of 
the  tusk  are  always  heavier  than  others,  so  that  if  the 
heavy  part  should  fall  on  one  side  of  the  ball,  it 
would  not  run  true.  The  object  of  the  maker  is  either 
to  get  the  heavier  portion  in  the  centre,  or  to  make  the 
ball  from  a  piece  of  ivory  of  equal  weight.  In  either 
case,  the  ball  is  made  a  little  larger  than  the  proper 
size  ;  it  is  then  hung  up  in  a  dry  room  for  several 
months,  and  finally  turned  down  to  the  requisite  di 
mensions. 

All  elephants  are  fond  of  the  water,  and  sometimes 
submerge  themselves  so  far  that  nothing  but  the  tip  of 
the  proboscis  remains  above  the  surface.  In  a  tame 
state,  the  Elephant  delights  in  concealing  itself  below 
the  water  and  deluging  the  spectators  with  a  stream 
sent  from  its  trunk. 

The  African  Elephant  is  distinguished  from  the 
Indian  Elephant  by  the  markings  of  its  teeth  and  some 
difference  in  form,  noticeably  having  larger  ears. 

The  Tapir  forms  one  of  the  links  connecting  the 
elephant  with  the  hog.  The  snout  is  lengthened  into 
a  kind  of  proboscis  like  that  of  the  elephant,  but  it  is 
comparatively  short,  and  has  no  finger-like  appendage 
at  the  extremity. 


WOOD  S   NATURAL   HISTORY 


95 


The  Common  Tapir  is  spread  throughout  the  warmer 
regions  of  South  America.  It  sleeps  during  the  day, 
and  Avanders  about  at  night  in  search  of  its  food,  which 
consists  of  watermelons,  gourds,  and  other  vegetables. 


56 


mxM^m 


THE    AMERICAN    TAPIK 


It  is  very  fond  of  the  water,  and  can  remain  below  the 
surface  for  a  considerable  period.  It  is  a  very  power- 
ful animal,  and  as  it  is  furnished  with  a  very  thick  hide, 
it  plunges  through  the  brushwood,  breaking  its  way 
through  any  obstacles  that  may  oppose  its  progress. 


Vi 


Reindeer. 


WOOD  S   NATURAL    HISTORY 


97 


Its  disposition  is  gentle,  but  when  annoyed  it  some- 
times rushes  at  its  antagonist,  and  defends  itself  vigor- 
ously with  its  powerful  teeth.  The  jaguar  frequently 
springs  on  it,  but  is  often  dislodged  by  the  activity  of 
the  Tapir,  which  rushes  through  the  bushes  immediately 


THE    BABYROUSSA 


that  it  feels  the  claws  of  its  enemy,  and  endeavors 
to  brush  him  off  against  the  thick  branches.  The 
height  of  the  American  Tapir  is  from  five  to  six  feet. 
The  Malay  Tapir  is  somewhat  larger,  and  is  known  by 
the  grayish- white  color  of  the  loins  and  hind- quarters, 
which  give  the  animal  the  appearance  as  if  a  white 
horse-cloth  had  been  spread  over  it. 

The  Boar.     The  animals  composing  the  Hog   tribe 


fc 


98  wood's  natural  history 

are  found  in  almost  every  part  of  the  globe.  Their 
feet  are  cloven  and  externally  resemble  those  of  the 
Ruminants,  but  an  examination  of  the  bones  at  once 
points  out  the  difference. 

The  Wild  Hog  or  Boar  inhabits  many  parts  of  Europe, 
especially  the  forests  of  Germany,  where  the  chase  of 
the  Wild  Boar  is  a  common  amusement.  Its  tusks  are 
terrible  weapons,  and  capable  of  being  used  with  fatal 
effect.  They  curve  outward  from  the  lower  jaw,  and 
are  sometimes  eight  or  ten  inches  in  length.  In  India, 
where  the  Boar  attains  to  a  great  size,  the  horses  on 
which  the  hunters  are  mounted  often  refuse  to  bring 
their  riders  within  spear  stroke  of  the  infuriated  animal, 
who  has  been  known  to  kill  a  horse  and  severely  injure 
the  rider  with  one  sweep  of  its  enormous  tusks. 

The  Domestic  Hog  scarcely  needs  any  description. 
It  is  by  no  means  the  unclean  and  filthy  animal  that 
moralists  love  to  represent  it.  It  certainly  is  fond  of 
wallowing  in  the  mire,  as  are  the  elephants,  tapirs,  etc., 
but  no  animal  seems  to  enjoy  clean  straw  more  than  the 
Hog.  We  shut  it  up  in  a  dirty  narrow  crib,  give  it  any 
kind  of  refuse  to  eat,  and  then  abuse  it  for  being  a 
dirty  animal  and  an  unclean  feeder. 

The  Babyroussa  inhabits  the  Molucca  Islands  and 
Java.  It  is  remarkable  for  possessing  four  tusks,  two 
of  which  proceed  from  the  upper  jaw,  and  do  not  pass 
out  between  the  lips,  but  through  an  aperture  in  the 
skin,  half-way  between  the  end  of  the  snout  and  eyes. 
The  sockets  of  the  two  upper  tusks  are  curved  upward, 
and  give  a  singular  appearance  to  the  skull  of  the  ani- 


wood's  natural  history  99 

mal.  It  looks  a  ferocious  animal,  nor  do  its  looks  con- 
tradict its  habits,  as  it  is  very  savage,  and  cannot  be 
hunted  without  danger.  Yet  when  taken  young  it  can 
be  tamed  without  much  difficulty,  and  conducts  itself 
much  after  the  manner  of  a  well-behaved  pig. 

Only  the  male  possesses  the  remarkable  double  pair  of 
tusks,  the  female  being  destitute  of  the  upper  pair,  and 
only  possessing  those  belonging  to  the  under  jaw  in 
a  rudimentary  degree.  It  lives  in  troops,  as  do  most 
of  the  hog  kind,  and  thus  does  great  damage  to  the 
cultivated  grounds,  especially  to  the  maize,  a  plant 
to  which  it  is,  unfortunately,  very  partial.  It  is  a  good 
swimmer,  and  often  voluntarily  takes  to  the  water  in 
order  to  cross  to  another  island.  Its  size  when  full 
grown  is  about  that  of  a  very  large  hog. 

The  Rhinoceros.  There  are,  apparently,  six  species 
of  this  formidable  animal  inhabiting  various  parts  of 
Asia  and  Africa.  They  can  be  distinguished  from  each 
other  by  the  number  and  shape  of  their  horns  and  the 
color  of  their  bodies.     Their  habits  are  much  alike. 

The  Rhinoceros  is  always  a  surly  and  ill-tempered 
animal,  and  is  much  given  to  making  unprovoked 
attacks  on  man  and  beast,  if  it  should  happen  to 
fancy  itself  insulted  by  their  presence.  Its  chief 
peculiarity,  its  so-called  horn,  is  a  mass  of  fibres 
matted  together,  and  closely  resembling  the  structure 
of  whalebone.  Its  feet  are  divided  into  three  toes, 
encased  in  hoofs.  The  horn  is  not  connected  with  the 
skull,  but  is  merely  a  growth  from  the  skin,  from  which 
it  can  be  separated  by  means  of  a  sharp  penknife. 


P3 


WOOD  S   NATURAL    HISTORY 


101 


The  organs  of  scent  of  the  Rhinoceros  are  very  acute, 
and  as  the  creature  seems  to  have  a  peculiar  faculty  for 
detecting  the  presence  of  human  beings,  it  is  necessary 


HEAD    OF    KHIXOCKKOS 


for  the  hunters  to  use  great  circumspection  when  they 
approach  it,  whether  to  avoid  or  to  kill,  as  in  the  one 
case  it  may  probably  be  taken  with  a  sudden  fit  of  fury 
and  charge  at  them,  or,  in  the  other  case,  it  may  take 
the  alarm  and  escape. 

The    upper   lip   is   used   by   the    Rhinoceros    as    an 


102  wood's  natural  history 

instrument  of  prehension,  with  which  it  can  grasp 
herbage  on  which  it  feeds,  or  pick  up  small  fruit  from 
the  ground. 

The  Hippopotamus.  There  is,  in  all  probability,  but 
one  species  of  Hippopotamus.  It  inhabits  Africa  exclu- 
sively, and  is  found  in  plenty  on  the  banks  of  many 
rivers  in  that  country,  where  it  may  be  seen  gambolling 
and  snorting  at  all  times  of  the  day. 

These  animals  are  quiet  and  inoffensive  while  undis- 
turbed, but  if  attacked  they  unite  to  repel  the  invader, 
and  have  been  known  to  tear  several  planks  from  the 
side  of  a  boat  and  sink  it.  They  can  remain  about  five 
or  six  minutes  under  water,  and  when  they  emerge  they 
make  a  loud  and  very  peculiar  snorting  noise,  which 
can  be  heard  at  a  great  distance. 

The  hide  is  very  thick  and  strong,  and  is  chiefly  used 
for  whips.  The  well-known  "  cow-hides  "  are  made  of 
this  material.  Between  the  skin  and  flesh  is  a  layer  of 
fat,  which  is  salted  and  eaten  by  the  Dutch  colonists 
of  Southern  Africa.  When  salted  it  is  called  Zee-koe 
speck  or  Sea-cow's  bacon.  The  flesh  is  also  in  some 
request. 

The  Hippopotamus  feeds  entirely  on  vegetable  sub- 
stances, such  as  grass  and  brushwood.  From  the  con- 
struction of  the  head,  the  animal  is  enabled  to  raise  its 
eyes  and  nostrils  above  the  water  at  the  same  time,  so 
that  it  can  survey  the  prospect  and  breathe  without 
raising  more  than  an  inch  or  two  of  its  person  from  the 
water.  In  order  to  attain  this  object,  the  eyes  are  very 
small,  and  placed  very  high  in  the  head,  while  the  muz- 


wood's  natural  history  103 

zle  is  very  large,  and  the  nostrils  open  on  its  upper  sur- 
face. 

Cumming  relates  that  the  track  of  the  Hippopotamus 
may  be  readily  distinguished  from  that  of  any  other 
animal  by  a  line  of  unbroken  herbage  which  is  left 
between  the  marks  of  the  feet  on  each  side,  as  the  width 
of  the  space  between  the  right  and  left  legs  causes  the 
animal  to  place  its  feet  so  considerably  apart  as  to 
make  a  distinct  double  track. 

The  teeth  of  the  Hippopotamus  are  the  mainstay  of 
the  dentist,  who  cuts  from  the  tusk  of  a  Hippopotamus 
those  series  of  elegant  teeth  which  replace  those  that 
age  or  accident  has  struck  out  of  the  human  mouth. 
The  ivory  is  exceedingly  hard,  and  does  not  readily  lose 
its  beautiful  whiteness,  being  properties  which  render 
it  especially  valuable  for  such  purposes. 

This  is  supposed  by  many  to  be  the  animal  called 
Behemoth  in  Scripture. 

The  Sloth's  teeth  are  small  and  of  peculiar  structure. 
Its  long  and  powerful  arms  are  furnished  with  strong 
curved  claws,  which  hook  round  the  branches  and  keep 
the  animal  suspended  without  any  effort.  When  on 
the  ground  these  claws  are  very  inconvenient,  and  it 
can  barely  shuffle  along  ;  but  when  it  is  among  its 
native  branches  it  moves  with  exceeding  rabidity, 
particularly  in  a  gale  of  wind,  when  it  passes  from 
branch  to  branch,  and  from  tree  to  tree,  with  an  ac- 
tivity which  its  movements  on  the  ground  by  no  means 
portend. 

The  Manidae  or  Pangolins  are  immediately  known  by 


r  jiLSji  i  .      r""H 


32 

o 

H 

o 
W 

H 

ft 


WOOD  S    NATURAL    HISTORY 


105 


the  peculiar  strong,  horny  plates  with  which  their  bodies 
are  defended,  giving  them  the  appearance  of  animals 
enveloped  in  a  suit  of  scale  armor.  When  attacked 
they  roll  themselves  up,  wrap  their  tails  round  them, 


in§ 


Tt&  -  A  ^S-f'^i^S^SF^^ESi&^'i:  ^-?':-^---^ :-  trie*-. 


THE    GIAXT    ARMADILLO 


and  raise  the  whole  array  of  sharp-edged  scales  with 
which  their  body  is  covered,  and  bid  defiance  to  almost 
any  enemy  except  man.  They  live  on  ants,  and  ter- 
mites, or  white  ants,  as  they  are  called,  which  they 
take  by  thrusting  their  long  slender  tongue  among  the 
ants,  which  adhere  to  it  by  a  gummy  saliva.     When 


106 


WOOD  S    NATCliAL    HISTOltY 


the  tongue  is  covered  it  is  rapidly  retracted,  and  the 
ants  swallowed.  To  obtain  the  ants,  the  Pangolins  are 
furnished  with  powerful  claws  to  tear  down  the  dwell- 
ings of  their  prey. 

The  Long-tailed  Manis  is  widely  scattered  through 


THE    GREAT    ANT-EATER 


Africa,  but  is  not  very  common.  The  length  of  its 
body  is  about  two  feet,  and  that  of  its  tail  rather  more 
than  three. 

The  Short-tailed  Manis  is  very  common  in  India.  Its 
entire  length  is  about  four  feet. 

The  Armadillos  live  exclusively  in  the  warmer  parts 
of  America.  They  eat  carrion,  insects,  and  sometimes 
fallen  fruit.     The  great  mainstay  of  these  animals  lies 


wood's  natural  history  107 

in  the  number  of  bisons  annually  slaughtered  for  the 
sake  of  their  hides.  The  carcasses  of  these  animals  are 
left  to  rot  on  the  plain,  and  would  speedily  do  so  did 
not  the  combined  effort  of  birds  and  beasts  soon  destroy 
every  trace  of  the  animal  and  leave  only  a  heap  of  bones. 
In  this  work  the  Armadillo  takes  his  full  share. 

They  burrow  with  great  rapidity,  and  can  only  be 
forced  from  their  refuge  by  smoke  or  water.  When 
they  are  hunted  and  are  very  close  pressed,  they  either 
endeavor  to  escape  their  foes  by  rapidly  burrowing  into 
the  earth,  or  try  to  oppose  a  partial  resistance  by  roll- 
ing themselves  up  and  trusting  to  the  protection  of 
their  armor.  The  natives  and  colonists  consider  them 
great  delicacies  when  roasted  in  their  shells. 

The  Ant-eater.  This  curious  animal  inhabits  Guiana, 
Brazil,  and  Paraguay.  As  its  name  imports,  it  lives 
principally  upon  ants  and  termites,  which  it  procures  in 
precisely  the  same  manner  as  was  related  of  the  Manis. 
Its  short  legs  and  long  claws  would  lead  an  observer  to 
suppose  that  its  pace  was  slow  and  constrained,  but 
when  chased  it  runs  off  with  a  peculiar  trot,  and  with 
such  rapidity  that  it  keeps  a  horse  to  its  speed  to  over- 
take it. 

The  tongue  of  this  animal  looks  exactly  like  a  great 
red  worm,  and  when  the  creature  is  engaged  in  devour- 
ing its  food,  the  rapid  coiling  and  twisting  of  the  tongue 
add  in  no  small  degree  to  the  resemblance. 

The  claws  are  very  long  and  curved,  and  as  they  are 
used  in  tearing  down  the  habitation  of  the  termites  or 
white  ants,  as  they  are  called,  are  exceeding   strong. 


6C 

P 

H 

6 
O 
Ph 

H 

w 


wood's  natural  history 


109 


They  are  placed  on  the  foot  in  such  a  manner  that 
when  the  animal  is  walking  its  weight  rests  on  the  out- 
side of  the  fore-feet  and  the  outer  edge  of  the  claws, 
which  make  a  great  clattering  if  the  Ant-eater  is  walk- 
ing upon  a  hard  surface. 

When   it  sleeps,  it  lies  on  one  side,  rolls  itself  up, 
so  that  its  snout  rests  on  its  breast,  places  all  its  feet 


THE     I)i:('K-KILI. 


together,  and  covers  itself  with  its  bushy  tail.  The  fur 
of  the  animal  at  all  times  resembles  hay,  and  when  it  is 
thus  curled  up  in  sleep,  it  is  so  exactly  like  a  bundle  of 
hay,  that  any  one  might  pass  it  carelessly,  imagining  it 
to  be  nothing  but  a  loose  heap  of  that  substance.  Its 
ordinary  length  is  about  three  feet  seven  inches,  and 
its  height  about  three  feet. 

The  Duck-billed  Platypus.  Australia,  where  every- 
thing seems  to  be  reversed,  where  the  north  wind  is 
warm  and  the  south  wind  cold,  the  thick  end  of  a  pear 


110  WOOD'S   NATUiiAL   HISTORY 

is  next  the  stem,  and  the  stone  of  a  cherry  grows  out- 
side, is  the  residence  of  this  most  extraordinary  animal. 
When  it  was  first  introduced  into  Europe,  it  was  fully 
believed  to  be  the  manufacture  of  some  impostor,  who 
with  much  ingenuity  had  fixed  the  beak  of  a  duck  into 
the  head  of  some  unknown  animal.  It  will,  however, 
be  seen  by  the  skull  of  the  animal  that  this  duck-like 
beak  really  belongs  to  the  animal,  and  is  caused  by  a 
prolongation  of  some  of  the  bones  of  the  head. 

It  lives  by  the  banks  of  rivers,  in  which  it  burrows 
like  the  water-rat.  Curiously  enough,  it  finds  no 
difficulty  in  this  labor,  for  the  feet  are  so  constructed 
that  the  animal  can  fold  back  the  web  at  pleasure,  and 
thus  the  foot  is  enabled  to  perform  its  task.  It  feeds 
upon  water-insects  and  shell-fish,  always  rejecting  the 
crushed  shells  after  swallowing  the  inhabitant.  The 
male  has  a  sharp  spur  on  its  hind-feet. 

The  native  name  for  the  creature  is  "  Mullingong. " 


BIRDS 

Birds  are  immediately  distinguished  from  the  Mam- 
malia by  their  general  form,  their  feathery  covering, 


MALE  AND  FEMALE  CONDORS 


their  wings,  and  by  producing  their  young  enclosed  in 
eggs. 

The  Lammergeyer,  or  Bearded  Vulture,  is  common 
in  the  Alps  of  Switzerland  and  Germany.     It  is  said  to 

111 


THE   TWO-TOED    SLOTH. 


wood's  natural  history  113 

destroy  the  larger  animals  by  watching  until  they  are 
near  the  brink  of  a  precipice,  and  suddenly  driving 
them  over  the  rocks  by  an  unexpected  swoop.  It  is 
exceedingly  bold,  and  shows  but  little  fear  of  man. 

The  name  of  "  Bearded  "  Vulture  is  given  to  it  on 
account  of  the  long  tuft  of  hairs  with  which  each 
nostril  is  clothed.  The  length  of  its  body  is  about  four 
feet,  and  the  expanse  of  its  wings  from  nine  to  ten. 

The  Condor.  These  birds  are  distinguished  by  the 
wattles  on  their  beaks,  their  naked  necks,  and  the  size 
of  the  nostrils.  The  third  primary  feather  is  the 
longest. 

The  Condor  inhabits  the  Andes  of  South  America.  It 
is  a  very  large  bird.  The  expanse- of  wing  is  about 
nine  or  ten  feet,  and  the  length  of  the  bird  about  three 
feet.     It  is  exceedingly  strong  and  tenacious  of  life. 

The  Vultures  are  carrion-devouring  animals,  and  do 
not  attack  living  animals.  The  neck  of  the  Vulture  is 
almost  naked,  very  slightly  sprinkled  with  down. 

They  display  marvellous  quickness  in  discovering  a 
dead  animal,  to  which  they  fly  with  great  speed. 

The  Griffon  Vulture  is  found  in  almost  all  parts  of  the 
Old  World.  It  is  one  of  the  largest  of  its  group,  meas- 
uring upward  of  four  feet  in  length.  Like  most  of  the 
vultures,  it  does  not  appear  to  move  its  wings  while 
flying,  but  soars  on  expanded  pinions  in  large  circles.    • 

Vultures  are  generally  protected  by  the  natives  of  the 
countries  where  they  reside,  on  account  of  their  great 
utility  in  clearing  away  the  putrid  animal  matter,  which 
would  otherwise  be  injurious  as  well  as  disagreeable. 


THE    LAMMERGEYER,    OR    PE.VRDED    VULTURE 


wood's  natural  history 


115 


Eagles.     The  wings  of  the  Golden  Eagle  are  large, 
powerful,   and   slightly  rounded,   the   fourth   primary 


IMPERIAL    EAGLE 


feather  being  longest.     The  feet  are  feathered  to  the 
toes. 

The  flight  of  this  magnificent  bird  is  peculiarly  beauti- 
ful and  imposing,  but  its  gait  when  on  land  is  rather 
awkward,  for  its  long  talons  encumber  it.  Its  food 
is  usually  sea  birds  and  the  smaller  quadrupeds,  such 


116  wood's  natural  history 

as  hares,  rabbits,  etc.  ;  but  it  does  not  hesitate  to  carry 
off  young  lambs,  or  sometimes  to  destroy  a  sickly 
sheep.  It  generally  hunts  in  pairs,  one  eagle  watching 
from  some  height,  while  the  other  courses  along  the 
ground,  and  drives  the  game  from  the  bushes.  The 
male  and  the  female  remain  together  all  the  year,  and 
very  probably  for  life.  It  lays  two  eggs  of  a  yellowish- 
white  color  with  pale  brownish  spots,  on  a  nest  composed 
of  a  great  mass  of  sticks,  rushes,  and  grass,  and  the 
young  are  fledged  about  the  end  of  July.  While  the 
young  are  in  the  nest,  it  is  very  dangerous  to  approach 
the  spot,  as  the  Eagles  are  then  extremely  fierce  and 
daring. 

Some  instances  have  been  related  of  children  that 
have  been  carried  away  by  this  eagle,  but  they  are 
very  doubtful.  Eagles  certainly  have  pounced  upon 
children  and  carried  them  a  little  way  ;  but  there  are 
no  true  accounts  of  children  having  been  actually  taken 
to  the  eagle's  nest,  although  there  are  many  pretty  stories 
founded  on  such  a  supposition. 

The  Buzzard.  The  family  of  the  Buzzards  are  distin- 
guished by  their  short  beaks,  large  rounded  wings,  and 
squared  tails.  They  all  live  on  small  animals,  reptiles, 
and  various  insects. 

The  Common  Buzzard,  when  searching  for  food, 
rests  upon  some  high  branch,  keeping  a  keen  watch 
on  the  ground,  and  waiting  patiently  until  some  small 
animal  makes  its  appearance  or  some  bit  of  carrion  is 
scented.  Its  length  is  from  twenty  to  twenty-two 
inches. 


WHITE-HEADED    EAGLE. 


wood's  natural  history 


119 


The  Kite  is  spread  over  Europe,  Asia,  and  Northern 
Africa.  It  builds  in  tall  trees,  and  lays  three  eggs, 
white,  spotted  with  reddish-brown  at  the  larger  end. 
Its  length  is  rather  more  than  two  feet ;  the  fourth 
primary  feather  is  the  longest,  the  first  and  seventh 
nearly  equal. 


COMMON   BUZZARD 


The  Peregrine  Falcon  is  an  inhabitant  of  most  parts 
of  Europe,  Asia,  and  South  America.  Its  strength  and 
swiftness  are  very  great,  enabling  it  to  strike  down  its 
prey  with  great  ease  ;  indeed,  it  has  been  known  to  dis- 
able five  partridges  in  succession.  From  its  successful 
pursuit  of  ducks  Americans  call  it  the  Duck  Hawk. 


120 


WOOD  S   NATURAL   HISTORY 


It  changes  the  color  of  its  plumage  several  times 
before  it  arrives  at  full  maturity.  It  builds  on  ledges 
of  rocks,  laying  four  eggs  of  a  reddish-brown  color. 
Its  length  is  from  fifteen  to  eighteen  inches. 


THE    GREENLAND    FALCON 


The  Kestrel,  or  Windhover,  feeds  on  field-mice.  Its 
nest  is  usually  built  in  the  deserted  mansion  of  a  crow  or 
magpie.  The  eggs  are  four  in  number,  of  a  dark  reddish- 
brown.     The  length  is  from  thirteen  to  fifteen  inches. 


wood's  natural  history 


121 


The  Sparrow-iiawk  is  common  throughout  Europe. 
It  displays   great  pertinacity  in   pursuit  of  its   prey, 


THE    SECRETARY    BIRD 


which  it  will  chase  for  a  long  while,  skimming  along 
a  few  feet  above  the  ground.     When  taken  young  it 


122  wood's  natural  history 

is  easily  tamed,  and  will  then  associate  with  the  must 
incongruous  companions.  Its  length  is  from  twelve 
to  fifteen  inches.     It  builds  upon  lofty  trees. 

The  Secretary  Bird  derives  its  name  from  the  tufts 
of  feathers  at  the  back  of  its  head,  which  bear  a 
fanciful  resemblance  to  pens  stuck  behind  the  ear. 
It  inhabits  South  Africa  and  the  Philippine  Islands. 
It  feeds  on  snakes  and  other  reptiles,  of  Avhich  it 
consumes  an  amazing  number,  and  is  on  that  account 
protected.  It  is  easily  tamed,  and  is  then  exceed- 
ingly useful.  It  builds  on  high  trees,  laying  three 
large  eggs,  almost  white.  Its  length  is  about  three 
feet. 

Owls.  A  large  round  head,  with  enormous  eyes  look- 
ing forward,  is  a  distinguishing  mark  of  the  Owl  family. 
Many  species  possess  two  feathery  tufts  placed  on  the 
head,  greatly  resembling  horns.  The  Owls  are  noctur- 
nal birds,  pursuing  their  prey  by  night  and  sleeping 
during  the  day.  In  order  to  enable  them  to  see  their 
prey,  their  eyes  are  enormously  large,  and  capable  of 
taking  in  every  ray  of  light.  In  order  to  protect  them 
from  the  cold,  they  are  furnished  with  a  dense  covering 
of  downy  feathers,  which  also  prevent  the  movements 
of  the  wing  from  being  heard. 

The  Snowy  Owl  is  an  inhabitant  of  the  North  of 
Europe,  and  is  also  found  in  North  America.  It  is 
a  good  fisher,  snatching  its  prey  from  the  water  by  a 
sudden  grasp  of  the  foot.  It  also  preys  on  lemmings, 
hares,  ptarmigans,  etc.,  chasing  and  striking  at  them 
with  its  feet.     It  makes  its  nest  on   the  ground,  and 


WOOD  S  NATURAL   HISTORY 


123 


lays  three  or  four  white  eggs.  Its  length  is  from 
twenty-two  to  twenty-seven  inches,  the  expanse  of 
wing  four  feet. 

The  Great-eared  Owl,  or  Eagle  Owl,  is  the  largest 
of  the  family.     This  powerful  bird  attacks  hares  and 


THE    LONG-EARED   OWL 


rabbits,  together  with  small  birds.  It  inhabits  the 
North  of  Europe.  It  lays  its  eggs  in  the  clefts  of 
rocks  or  in  ruined  buildings.  The  length  of  this  bird 
is  upward  of  two  feet. 


124 


wood's  natural  history 


fe- 


The  Barn  Owl.  The  length  of  the  Barn  Owl  is 
rather  more  than  twelve  inches ;  the  second  pri- 
mary feather  is  the  longest.  Its  color  is  a  bright 
yellowish-brown,  marked  with  dots  and  lines  of  vari- 


THE   EAGLE   OWL 


ous  tints,  the  lines  being  generally  dark  and  the  dots 
light. 

The  Goat-sucker,  sometimes  called  the  Fern  Owl, 
is  spread  over  Europe.  It  may  be  seen  at  the  approach 
of  evening,  silently  wheeling  round  the  trees,  captur- 
ing the  nocturnal  moths  and  beetles  ;  then  occasionally 


wood's  natural  history  125 

settling  and  uttering  its  jarring  cry.  When  flying,  the 
bird  sometimes  makes  its  wings  meet  over  its  back,  and 
brings  them  together  with  a  smart  snap.  The  Whip- 
poor- Will  and  Chuck- Will's- Widow  both  belong  to  this 
family. 

Swallows  are  remarkable  for  their  great  power  of 
wing,  their  wide  mouths,  and  short  legs.  Their  wing 
feathers  are  long,  stiff,  and  pointed,  and  their  tails  are 
long  and  forked. 

The  Common  Swift  seems  to  spend  the  whole  day  on 
the  wing,  wheeling  with  wonderful  velocity.  The  num- 
ber of  insects  which  it  destroys  is  almost  incredible. 
The  color  of  this  bird  is  a  dusky  black.  The  length 
is  eight  inches,  the  expanse  of  wing  eighteen  inches, 
and  its  weight  barely  one  ounce. 

The  Sand  Martin  principally  builds  in  cliffs  of  sand- 
stone, boring  holes  three  feet  or  more  in  depth.  Where 
a  convenient  sand-cliff  exists,  hundreds  of  these  pretty 
little  birds  may  be  seen  working  away  at  their  habita- 
tions, or  dashing  about  in  the  air,  looking  at  a  distance 
like  white  butterflies,  and  occasionally  returning  to 
the  rock,  which  is  often  completely  honeycombed  by 
their  labors. 

The  Trogon.  The  Trogon  stands  pre-eminent  in 
beauty  and  brilliancy  of  plumage,  the  usual  tint  being 
a  metallic  golden  green,  boldly  contrasted  with  scarlet, 
black,  and  brown. 

The  Resplendent  Trogon  is  the  most  gorgeous  of  all 
this  gorgeous  family.  Its  long  and  gracefully  curved 
tail,  nearly  three  feet  long,  the  whole  of  the  upper  sur- 


126 


WOOD'S   NATURAL    H1SXORY 


face,  and  the  throat  are  a  glowing  green  ;  the  breast  and 
under  parts  are  bright  crimson  ;  the  middle    feathers 


THE    KINGFISHER 


of  the  tail  black,  and  the  outer  feathers  white.      This 
splendid  bird  is  an  inhabitant  of  Mexico,  and  was  used 


wood's  natural  history  127 

by  the  Mexican  nobles  as  an  ornament  to  their  head- 
dress. 

The  Kingfisher.  The  common  Kingfisher  is  found 
in  most  parts  of  England.  Its  usual  method  of 
fishing  is  by  placing  itself  on  a  stump  or  stone 
overhanging  the  water,  from  which  spot  it  watches  for 
the  unsuspecting  fish  beneath.  After  a  fish  is  caught, 
the  bird  kills  it  by  beating  it  several  times  against 
its  resting-place,  and  then  swallowing  it,  head  fore- 
most. 

The  Hoopoe,  one  of  the  most  elegant  birds  that  visit 
England,  is  unfortunately  a  very  rare  guest,  and  seldom, 
if  ever,  breeds  there.  Its  beautiful  crest  can  be  raised 
or  depressed  at  pleasure,  but  is  seldom  displayed  unless 
the  bird  is  excited  from  some  cause.  Its  food  consists 
of  insects,  which  it  first  batters  and  moulds  into  an 
oblong  mass,  and  then  swallows,  with  a  peculiar  jerk 
of  the  head. 

In  France  Hoopoes  are  very  common,  and  may  be  seeK 
examining  old  and  rotten  stumps  for  the  insects  that 
invariably  congregate  in  such  places.  There  they  may 
be  seen  in  flocks,  but  they  never  seem  to  come  over  to 
England  in  greater  numbers  than  one  pair  at  a  time. 
M.  Bechstein  gives  a  curious  account  of  the  attitude 
assumed  by  the  Hoopoe  on  perceiving  a  large  bird  in 
the  air.  "  As  soon  as  they  perceived  a  raven,  or  even 
a  pigeon,  they  were  on  their  bellies  in  the  twinkling 
of  an  eye,  their  wings  stretched  out  by  the  side  of 
the  head,  so  that  the  large  quill  feathers  touched  the 
head,  leaning   on  the  back  with  the  bill  pointing  up- 


Humming  Bibd. 


WOOD  S   NATURAL   HISTORY 


129 


ward.     In   this  curious  posture   they  might  be  taken 
for  an  old  rag !  " 

The  Hoopoe  lays  from  four  to  seven  gray  eggs  in  the 
hollow  of  a  tree.     Its  length  is  one  foot. 


RACKET-TAILED    HUMMING-BIRD 


The  Humming-bird.  Though  least  in  size,  the  glit- 
tering mantle  of  the  Humming-bird  entitles  it  to  the 
first  place  in  the  list  of  the  birds  of  the  New  World. 
It  may  truly  be  called  the  Bird  of  Paradise  ;  and  had 
it  existed  in  the  Old  World,  it  would  have  claimed 
the  title  instead  of  the  bird  which  has  now  the  honoi 


130  wood's  natural  history 

to  bear  it.  See  it  darting  through  the  air  almost  as 
quick  as  thought  !  Now  it  is  within  a  yard  of  your 
face — in  an  instant  gone  —  now  it  flutters  from  flower 
to  flower  to  sip  the  silver  dew  —  it  is  now  a  ruby  — 
now  a  topaz  —  now  an  emerald  —  now  all  burnished  gold. 

The  tongue  of  the  Humming-bird  is  formed  much 
like  that  of  the  woodpecker,  being  curled  round  the 
head,  under  the  skin,  and  thus  capable  of  being  darted 
to  a  considerable  distance. 

Like  many  other  little  creatures,  the  Humming-bird 
is  remarkable  for  its  assurance  and  impudence.  It  is 
easily  tamed  for  that  very  reason,  and  has  been  known  to 
domesticate  itself  in  an  hour  from  the  time  of  its  cap- 
ture, and  even  when  released  it  has  returned  again  to 
partake  of  the  dainties  which  it  had  tasted  during  its 
captivity. 

There  are  an  immense  number  of  species  of  these 
exquisite  birds,  varying  from  the  size  of  a  swift  to  that 
of  a  humble-bee. 

The  nests  are  very  neat  and  beautiful,  and  as  may  be 
imagined  from  the  diminutive  size  of  the  little  archi- 
tect exceedingly  small.  They  are  composed  of  down, 
cotton,  etc.,  and  are  sometimes  covered  on  the  outside 
with  mosses  and  lichens. 

The  Wren.  The  American  House  Wren  is  larger 
than  the  European  Wren,  being  about  five  inches  long. 
It  is  of  a  reddish-brown  color,  and  is  a  good  fighter, 
and  will  attack  bluebirds  and  swallows.  The  nest  of 
the  Wren  is  built  in  any  convenient  cranny  ;  an  ivy- 
covered  tree,  the    thatch   of  a  barn,  or  a  warm  scare- 


M 
A 

o 


wood's  natural  history  131 

crow  are  all  used  by  this  fearless  little  bird.  The  nest 
is  usually  of  an  oval  shape,  always  covered  on  the  out- 
side with  some  material  resembling  the  color  of  the 
objects  round  it,  such  as  green  moss  if  built  among 
ivy,  or  brown  lichen  if  built  on  a  rock  or  in  the  fork  of 
a  withered  branch.  The  eggs  are  six  or  eight  in  num- 
ber —  white,  speckled  with  reddish-brown. 

Lyre  Bird,  a  name  applied  to  two  birds  of  Australia, 
from  the  lyre-shaped  outline  of  the  erect  tail-feathers 
of  the  male. 

The  Nightingale,  so  famous  for  its  singing,  is  of  a 
quiet  brown  color,  and  is  a  little  larger  than  the  spar- 
row. It  is  found  in  Europe  and  Asia,  but  does  not  go 
far  north.  It  usually  begins  to  sing  in  the  evening, 
and  continues  its  song  all  through  the  night.  The 
inimitable  song  of  this  Mendelssohn  among  birds  loses  a 
great  part  of  its  beauty  when  uttered  by  day,  deadened 
and  confused  with  other  sounds. 

The  Warblers  are  spread  over  almost  the  entire 
globe,  and  many  gladden  this  country  with  their  pleas- 
ant songs. 

The  Blackcap,  almost  a  rival  of  the  nightingale,  is  at 
once  recognized  by  the  black  color  of  the  crown  of  the 
head.  Only  the  males,  however,  are  thus  decorated, 
the  crown  of  the  head  of  the  female  being  dark  brown. 
Its  sweet  notes  are  poured  forth  from  the  concealment 
of  some  thicket  or  tuft  of  trees,  where  it  trusts  to  the 
density  of  the  foliage  to  elude  discovery.  Like  the 
mocking-bird  of  America,  it  can  imitate  the  songs  of 
other  birds  with  such  perfect  inflection  that  it  is  almost 


162  wood's  natural  history 

impossible  to  detect  the  imposture.  Among  bushes 
and  brambles  it  builds  its  nest,  which  is  made  of  dried 
grass,  moss,  and  hairs. 

The  Golden -crested  Regulus  is  one  of  the  smallest  of 
British  birds.  Fir  plantations  are  its  favorite  resort, 
and  there  it  may  be  seen  hopping  about  the  branches, 
or  running  round  them,  head  downward,  in  search  of 
the  insects  hidden  beneath  the  bark.  Its  note  is  weak 
but  very  pleasing,  and  much  resembles  that  of  the 
common  wren. 

The  Redbreast,  or  Robin  Redbreast,  as  it  is  affection- 
ately termed,  has  by  its  fearless  conduct  earned  itself 
golden  opinions  from  all  kinds  of  men.  Every  nation 
seems  to  protect  it. 

In  the  winter,  when  the  berries  are  gone,  insects 
dead,  and  the  worms  hidden  under  the  hard  frozen  soil, 
then  the  Robin  flies  for  refuge  to  the  habitations  of 
man  for  shelter  and  food.  It  is  very  amusing  to  see 
the  half -trusting,  half -fearful  look  with  which  it  hops 
to  the  window-sill  for  the  first  time.  After  a  while  it 
becomes  bold  and  taps  at  the  window,  if  the  expected 
crumbs  are  not  thrown  out.  Before  very  long  it  ven- 
tures to  enter  the  room,  hops  about  on  the  table,  and 
quite  seems  to  consider  as  a  right  what  was  first  merely 
a  favor.  When  once  established  it  is  very  jealous,  and 
will  not  suffer  a  friend  to  be  partaker  of  the  same  com- 
forts, but  attacks  him  with  the  greatest  fury  ;  so  the 
unfortunate  second  comer  has  to  wait  shivering  outside 
the  window,  with  his  feathers  puffed  up,  and  his  little 
eye  glancing  from  the  depths  of  his  plumage. 


THE    LYRE-BIRD. 


134  wood's  natural  history 

The  nest  of  this  bird  is  built  in  a  crevice  of  an  old 
ivied  wall,  in  a  bank,  sheltered  by  the  roots  of  a  tree, 
or  in  a  mass  of  ivy  clinging  to  an  old  tree. 

The  Wagtail,  so  named  from  the  almost  incessant 
vibration  of  its  tail,  is  exclusively  confined  to  the  Old 
World.  It  runs  with  great  rapidity,  and  altogether 
looks  very  like  a  diminutive  magpie. 

The  Water  Ouzel,  or  Dipper,  is  found  principally 
in  hilly  places  where  there  are  clear  and  rapid 
streams.  It  dives  for  a  considerable  distance  with 
apparent  ease,  and  has  a  habit  of  dipping  and  rising 
repeatedly. 

The  Song-Thrush,  Throstle,  or  Mavis,  is  deservedly 
considered  one  of  the  best  singing  birds.  Its  power- 
ful and  rich  notes  may  be  heard  even  during  the  month 
of  January,  when  most  of  the  other  singing  birds  are 
either  silent  or  have  departed. 

The  Blackbird  is  a  delightful  songster,  whose  jetty 
hue  and  "  orange-tawny  bill  "  are  well  known.  The 
habits  of  this  bird  are  not  unlike  those  of  the  thrush, 
especially  in  its  zeal  for  unearthing  the  cockchaff'er 
grubs,  and  possibly  for  eating  cherries  when  they  are 
ripe. 

The  Mocking-bird,  or  Polyglot  Thrush,  is  a  native  of 
most  parts  of  America.  This  wonderful  bird  stands 
pre-eminent  in  powers  of  song.  Not  only  are  its  nat- 
ural notes  bold  and  spirited,  but  it  has  the  faculty  of 
imitating  with  deceptive  fidelity  every  sound  it  hears. 
To  its  flexible  organs,  the  harsh  setting  of  a  saw,  the 
song   of  a  nightingale,  the   creaking  of  a  wheel,  the 


WOOD  S   KATURAL   HISTORY 


13o 


whistled  tune  of  a  passerby,  the  full  and  mellow  notes 
of  the  thrush,  the  barking  of  a  dog,  the  crowing  of  a 
cock,  and  the  savage  scream  of  the  bald  eagle  are 
each  equally  easy  of  execution,  and  follow  one  another 
with  such  marvellous  rapidity  that  few  can  believe  that 


C^^^^C^^^^^^^^-'^^-^'  t$..  ss£5=3P 


THE    MOCKING-BIRD 


the  insignificant   brown  bird  before  them  is  the  sole 
author  of  these  varied  sounds. 

While  sitting  on  its  eggs  it  is  an  exceedingly  coura- 
geous bird,  attacking  without  discrimination  man,  dogs, 
or  any  animal  who  may  approach  too  near  the  nest. 
But  the  black  snake  is  the  special  object  of  its  ven- 


136  wood's  natural  history 

geance.  The  snake,  which  has  perhaps  just  arrived  at 
the  vicinity  of  the  nest,  and  is  contemplating  a  pleas- 
ant breakfast  on  the  young  or  eggs,  is  violently  attacked 
by  the  enraged  Mocking-bird,  which,  by  repeated  blows 
on  the  head,  generally  destroys  its  enemy,  and  then, 
mounting  on  a  bush,  pours  forth  a  triumphant  song  of 
victory. 

The  nest  is  made  generally  in  a  bush  or  apple-tree, 
frequently  close  to  houses,  as  the  bird  is  protected  by 
the  inhabitants.  The  Mocking-bird  is  often  kept  tame, 
in  which  case,  so  far  from  its  imitative  powers  show- 
ing any  decrease,  the  variety  of  domestic  sounds  heard 
about  the  house  is  often  very  perplexing. 

The  Spotted  Flycatcher  may  be  considered  as  the 
type  of  the  entire  family.  It  takes  its  station  on  some 
elevated  spot,  such  as  the  overhanging  bough  of  a  tree, 
a  post,  or  a  rail ;  and  from  thence  watches  for  a  pass- 
ing insect,  on  seeing  which,  it  darts  from  its  post, 
secures  the  insect  in  the  air,  and  returns  to  the  same 
spot  by  a  short  circular  flight. 

The  Shrikes,  or  Butcher  Birds,  well  deserve  their 
name,  as  they  live  upon  insects  and  small  birds,  which 
they  kill,  and  afterward  transfix  with  a  thorn,  prepara- 
tory to  devouring  them.  They  take  their  prey  much 
after  the  same  manner  as  the  flycatchers,  by  darting  or. 
it  from  some  place  of  concealment. 

Weaver  Bird,  a  common  name  for  a  sub-family  of  the 
finches,  remarkable  for  their  curious  nests.  Compara- 
tively little  is  known  of  these  birds,  as  they  are  mostly- 
African,  although  a  few  are  Asiatic  ;  but  their  remark- 


WEAVER    BIRDS. 


138  wood's  natural  history 

able  nests,  constructed  so  as  to  protect  the  eggs  and 
young  from  snakes  and  monkeys,  have  long  been  objects 
of  curiosity. 

The  Jay,  so  well  known  for  the  beautiful  blue  mark- 
ings on  its  wings,  is  rather  a  shy  bird,  preferring  to 
reside  in  the  thickest  woods,  and.  seldom  coming  into 
the  open  country.  It  is  easily  tamed  when  young,  and 
is  very  amusing  when  domesticated.  This  bird  pos- 
sesses, like  several  others  of  the  same  family,  consider- 
able talents  for  mimicry.  It  has  been  known  to  imitate 
the  sound  of  a  saw,  the  bleat  of  a  lamb,  or  even  the 
neighing  of  a  horse  with  the  most  perfect  accuracy. 

The  Magpie  is  well  known  for  its  thieving  and  hid- 
ing propensities.  The  nest  of  the  Magpie  is  built  on  a 
high  tree  and  curiously  defended  with  thorns,  having  a 
small  hole  just  large  enough  to  admit  the  owners. 

The  Raven  is  very  common  in  Europe  and  most 
parts  of  Asia  and  America.  It  lives  principally  on 
carrion  of  various  kinds,  such  as  dead  sheep  or  lambs, 
and  on  fishes  which  have  been  cast  on  shore. 

The  Rook  inhabits  almost  every  part  of  Europe,  and 
is  very  common  in  England,  where  it  lives  in  a  kind  of 
semi-domestication,  usually  inhabiting  a  grove  of  trees 
near  a  house. 

The  Jackdaw  is  another  well-known  bird.  It  does 
not  build  in  the  branches  of  trees  like  the  rook,  to 
which  it  is  very  similar  in  many  respects,  but  prefers 
holes  in  decayed  trees  or  old  buildings,  particularly 
frequenting  church  towers  and  steeples.  The  Jack 
daw  feeds  upon  almost  any  substance  that  it  can  find. 


wood's  natural  history  139 

The  Crow,  or  Carrion  Crow,  as  it  is  erroneously 
called,  seldom  feeds  on  carrion  ;  for  poor  indeed  would 
be  his  meals  were  he  dependent  on  dead  sheep  or 
horses  for  a  livelihood.  Possibly  the  name  was  given 
as  a  distinction  between  it  and  the  rook.  Waterton 
states  that  the  flesh  of  the  Carrion  Crow  is  just  as 
good  as  that  of  the  rook,  and  relates  how  he  once  served 
up  a  pie  of  these  birds  to  some  friends,  who  thought 
them  pigeons.  It  will  also  eat  cherries  and  walnuts 
like  the  rook,  and  when  the  supply  of  insects  has 
failed,  it  will  then  turn  its  attention  to  the  duck-pond 
or  farmyard,  and  carry  off  a  young  duckling  or  chicken. 

It  also  carries  off  eggs,  by  pouncing  upon  them,  and 
driving  its  bill  through  the  shell,  and  even  mice  and 
rats  are  not  unaccustomed  food. 

The  Chough  inhabits  the  counties  of  the  western 
coast  of  England,  and  is,  perhaps,  more  common  in 
Cornwall  than  in  any  other  county. 

The  Emerald  Bird  of  Paradise.  This  bird  is  about 
the  size  of  a  jay.  Its  body,  breast,  and  lower  parts  are 
of  a  deep  rich  brown :  the  front  set  close  with  black 
feathers  shot  with  green ;  the  throat  is  of  a  rich  golden 
green ;  the  head  yellow ;  the  sides  of  the  tail  are 
clothed  with  a  splendid  plume  of  long  downy  feathers, 
of  a  soft  yellow  color.  By  these  are  placed  two  long 
filamentous  shafts,  which  extend  nearly  two  feet  in 
length. 

Of  these  beautiful  feathers  the  bird  is  so  proud  that 
it  will  not  suffer  the  least  speck  of  dirt  to  remain  upon 
them,  and  it  is  constantly  examining  its  plumage  to  see 


'  ^      f 

BIRD   OF   PARADISE 


I 


Kl'M  4;ik;>  ok  paradise. 


142  wood's  natural  history 

that  there  are  no  spots  on  it.  When  in  its  wild  state, 
it  always  flies  and  sits  with  its  face  to  the  wind,  lest  its 
elegant  filmy  plumes  should  be  disarranged. 

The  Baltimore  Oriole  is  an  inhabitant  of  the  whole 
of  Northern  America,  its  range  extending  from  Canada 
to  Mexico  —  even  as  far  south  as  Brazil. 

It  is  a  migratory  bird,  arriving  about  the  beginning 
of  May,  and  departing  toward  the  end  of  August  or  the 
beginning  of  September.  This  species  is  remarkably 
familiar  and  fearless  of  man,  hanging  its  beautiful  pen- 
sile nest  upon  the  garden-trees,  and  even  venturing  into 
the  streets  wherever  a  green  tree  flourishes. 

The  coloring  of  the  bird  is  as  follows :  The  head  and 
throat,  together  with  the  upper  part  of  the  back  and 
the  wings,  are  deep  black,  with  the  exception  of  an 
orange  bar  upon  the  shoulders.  The  lower  part  of  the 
back  and  the  whole  of  the  under  surface  are  bright 
orange,  warming  into  scarlet  on  the  breast. 

From  these  colors  the  bird  has  derived  the  names  of 
Golden  Robin  and  Fire  Bird.  Its  total  length  is  about 
seven  inches. 

The  Common  Starling  is  a  bird  well  known  both  for 
its  beauty  and  its  singular  method  of  flight.  When  a 
flock  of  Starlings  begin  to  settle  for  the  night,  they 
wheel  round  the  place  selected  with  great  accuracy. 
Suddenly,  as  if  by  word  of  command,  the  whole  flock 
turn  their  sides  to  the  spectator,  and  with  a  great 
whirring  of  wings  the  whole  front  and  shape  of  the 
flock  is  altered.  No  body  of  soldiers  could  be  better 
wheeled  or  countermarched  than    are    these   flocks   of 


WOODS    NATURAL   HISTORY 


143 


Starlings,  except,  perhaps,  an  unfortunate  few,  who  are 
usually  thrown  out  at  each  change,  and  whom  we  must 
charitably  suppose  to  be  recruits. 


SKYLARK,    WOODLARK,    AND    CRESTED    LARK 


The  Starling  lives  principally  among  old  buildings, 
and  is  very  fond  of  gaining  admittance  into  dovecotes, 
where  it  is  a  harmless  visitor,  and  may  be  suffered  to 
remain  without  detriment  to  the  pigeons  or  their  eggs» 


144 


wood's  natural  history 


Its  nest  is  made  usually  in  a  hole  in  a  wall,  sometimes 
in  a  decayed  tree,  and  contains  five  eggs  of  a  very  deli- 
cate, uniformly  pale  blue. 


><s: 


TWO-HORNED    HORNBILL 


The  Grosbeak  or  Hawkfinch  well  deserves  its  generic 
name  of  "  Berry -breaker,"  for  its  beak  is  capable  of 
breaking  the  hard  kernels  of  the  cherry. 


Stablings. 


146- -wood's  natural  history 

■ 

The  Chaffinch  or  Piefinch  is  chiefly  remarkable  for 
the  beautiful  nest  which  it  constructs.  The  forks 
of  a  thorp  or  wild  crab-tree  are  favorite  places  for 
the  nest  vvhich  is  composed  of  mosses,  hair,  wool,  and 
feathers. 

The  Goldfinch  or  Thistlefinch  in  captivity  is  very 
tame,  and  can  be  trained  to  perform  a  multitude  of 
tricks ;  the  most  common  of  which  are,  drawing  its  own 
food  and  water  with  a  chain  and  bucket,  or  firing  a  gun 
when  commanded. 

The  Canary.  This  pretty  little  songster  is  so  well 
known  as  to  need  but  little  description,  particularly  as 
there  are  no  opportunities  of  studying  its  natural 
course  of  life.  From  the  manner  in  which  the  Canary 
is  usually  reared,  it  is  evident  that  the  bird  has  but 
very  little  opportunity  of  exhibiting  its  natural  in- 
stincts. 

The  Sparrow.  The  courageous,  impudent,  quarrel- 
some Sparrow  is  known  to  all,  and,  therefore,  will  not 
be  particularly  described. 

The  Yellow-hammer  or  Yellow  Bunting  is  a  very 
delicately  marked  little  bird,  very  common  in  England. 

Some  say  that  the  name  ought  to  be  Yellow-Ammer, 
the  word  Ammer  being  German  for  Bunting,  and  the 
German  word  for  this  bird  being  Goldammer. 

The  Larks  are  known  by  their  very  long  hind  toe. 
The  Skylark,  which  pours  forth  its  animated  song 
while  suspended  high  in  the  air,  is  an  inhabitant  of 
most  parts  of  Europe,  Asia,  and  North  Africa,  but  is 
not  found  in  America. 


wood's  natural  history 


147 


The  Bullfinch  when  well  trained  whistles  or  "  pipes  " 
any  melody  which  has  been  taught  it,  in  a  fine  flute- 
like tone.    A  good  piping  Bullfinch  sells  at  a  very  high 


THE    TOUCAN 


price.  The  method  of  teaching  is  to  confine  the  birds 
in  a  dark  room,  and,  before  their  food  is  given,  to  play 
the  air  that  they  have  to  learn,  on  an  instrument  called 
a  bird-organ.  The  birds  soon  begin  to  imitate  the 
notes,  and  by  degrees  the  whole  tune  is  learned.    Some 


148  wood's  natural  history 

trainers    substitute    a    small    clarionet    for    the    bird- 
organ. 

When  in  captivity  the  Bullfinch  is  very  sociable,  and 
soon  learns  to  know  its  owners,  and  to  come  to  them 
when  called.  The  name  of  Bullfinch  is  given  to  it  on 
account  of  the  large  proportionate  size  of  its  head  and 
neck. 

The  Rhinoceros  Hornbill.  This  singular  and  almost 
startling  family  comprises  but  few  species,  which  are  all 
natives  of  India  and  Africa.  The  enormous  bill,  with  its 
incomprehensible  appendage,  although  of  course  heavy, 
is  really  much  lighter  than  it  looks ;  being  composed  of 
a  kind  of  light  honeycombed  structure.  The  upper  pro- 
tuberance is  hollow,  and  the  only  conjecture  formed  of  its 
use  is  that  it  serves  as  a  sounding-board  to  increase  the 
sound  while  the  bird  is  uttering  its  peculiar  roaring 
cry. 

The  Hornbills  seem  to  be  omnivorous  —  fruits,  eggs, 
birds,  reptiles,  etc.,  forming  their  food.  The  African 
Hornbills  are  extremely  fond  of  nutmegs,  and  are,  on 
that  account,  said  to  be  peculiarly  delicate  eating. 

The  Toucans  are  all  natives  of  tropical  America. 
Their  enormous  bill  is  rendered  light  in  the  same  way  as 
that  of  the  hornbills,  by  being  chiefly  composed  of  a 
honeycomb  structure.  They  are  particularly  fond  of 
mice  and  small  birds.  When  sleeping,  the  Toucan 
takes  great  care  of  its  bill,  packing  it  away,  and  cover- 
ing it  carefully  with  the  feathers  of  its  back. 

The  Parrots  are  said  to  be  very  long-lived  ;  some  have 
certainly  been  known  to  live  upward  of  eighty  years  in 


GJREAT   BLACK    COCKATOO,    WITH   CKEST   ERECTED 


WOOD'S   NATURAL   HISTORY 


151 


captivity,  and  may  be  imagined  to  exceed  that  period 
in  a  wild  state. 

The  Macaws  are  natives  of  South  America.  The 
blue-and-yellow  Macaw  inhabits  Brazil,  Guiana,  and 
Surinam,  living  principally  on  the  banks  of  rivers. 


THE    GRAY    PARROT 


The  Ringed  Parrakeet  is  frequently  seen  domesticated. 
It  soon  learns  to  repeat  words  and  short  sentences,  and  to 
speak  with  tolerable  distinctness.  The  color  of  the  bird 
is  green,  and  a  rose-colored  band  round  its  neck  gives 
it  the  name  of  the  Rose-ringed  Parrakeet.  The  bill 
is  red. 


152  wood's  natural  history 

The  Cockatoos  are  remarkable  for  the  powdery  surfae 
of  their  wings,  and  for  the  crest  on  the  head,  which  ca 
be  raised  or  depressed  at  pleasure.  The  Sulphur- 
crested  Cockatoo  is  an  inhabitant  of  New  Guinea.  Its 
color  is  white,  and  the  crest  is  of  a  sulphur  yellow. 
This  Cockatoo  is  easily  tamed,  and  is  of  a  very  affection- 
ate disposition.  When  in  captivity  it  has  been  known 
to  live  to  the  age  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  years. 

The  Woodpeckers,  whose  name  indicates  their  habits, 
are  widely  spread,  being  found  in  all  quarters  of  the 
globe  except  Australia.  They  subsist  on  insects  and 
grubs,  which  they  dig  out  of  trees  or  discover  under  the 
bark.  The  bill  is  long,  sharp,  and  powerful,  and  the 
formation  of  the  feet  and  legs  is  such  that  the  bird  can 
grasp  the  tree  firmly  with  the  feet,  while  swinging  with 
the  force  of  his  whole  body  against  it. 

It  appears  to  be  an  erroneous  opinion  that  these  birds 
injure  trees.  Their  only  object  in  pecking  away  the  wood 
and  bark  is  to  get  at  the  insects  which  they  know  are 
hidden  within.  Now  insects  seldom  or  never  bore  into 
healthy  wood,  but  a  decayed  branch  or  stump  is  always 
full  of  them  ;  so  the  woodpecker,  when  he  perceives  a 
decayed  branch  or  finds  an  unsound  spot  in  the  trunk, 
immediately  sets  to  work  industriously,  and  is  rewarded 
by  finding  plenty  of  insects,  which  he  draws  out  and 
demolishes,  with  benefit  to  himself  and  good  to  others. 

The  Wryneck  is  tolerably  common  in  the  southern 
counties  of  England,  but  is  scarcely  ever  seen  in  the 
north  and  west.  It  feeds  principally  on  ants,  which  it 
picks   up   with    great   rapidity  by  means   of   its  long 


WOOD  S   NATURAL   HISTORY 


153 


tongue  ;  twisting  its  head  and  neck,  and  hissing  like  a 
serpent,  if  disturbed  upon  its  eggs.  The  young  also 
hiss  if  they  are  molested. 

The  Cuckoo,  spring's  harbinger,  has  in  all  ages  ob- 
tained for  itself  a  name  at  once  pleasing  and  disrepu- 


THE    COMMON    CUCKOO 


table :  pleasing,  because  its  well-known  notes  are  a  sign 
that  the  cold  winter  is  gone  ;  and  disreputable,  because 
it  usurps  the  nests  of  other  birds,  of  which  the  hedge 
sparrow  is  the  usual  victim.  In  its  nest  the  Cuckoo 
deposits  one  of   its  own  eggs,  which  are  remarkably 


154  wood's  natural  history 

small  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  bird.  The  unsus- 
pecting hedge  sparrow  hatches  the  intruder  together 
with  her  own  young.  The  Cuckoo  rapidly  increases  in 
size,  and  monopolizes  no  small  portion  of  the  entire 
nest,  besides  taking  the  lion's  share  of  the  provisions. 
The  mother,  however,  never  seems  to  see  the  difference, 
but  feeds  and  tends  the  interloper  with  quite  as  much 
care  as  her  own  young. 

The  young  Cuckoo  ejects  the  former  and  rightful 
occupants  of  the  nest  by  managing  to  get  the  egg  or 
young  bird  upon  its  back,  clambering  up  to  the  edge  of 
the  nest,  and  then  throwing  it  over  by  a  sharp  jerk. 
The  American  Cuckoo  only  occasionally  appropriates 
another's  nest,  but  it  exhibits  an  unnatural  neglect  of 
its  offspring.  It  is  a  disagreeable,  greedy,  and  bad- 
tempered  bird.  The  Cuckoo  derives  its  name  from  its 
cry  of  coo-coo. 

The  Dove.  This  family  is  supposed  to  be  more 
widely  distributed  than  any  other. 

The  Ringdove.  A  black  ringlet  round  the  neck, 
edged  with  white,  gives  it  the  name  of  Ringdove. 

The  Tumbler  is  a  very  little  pigeon,  and  derives  its 
name  from  its  singular  habit  of  falling  backward  when 
on  the  wing.  Pigeon  fanciers  assert  that  a  flight  of 
twelve  Tumblers  may  be  covered  with  a  handkerchief. 

The  Pouter  is  a  large  pigeon.  It  stands  particularly 
erect,  and  seems  exceedingly  vain  of  the  swollen  crop 
which  gives  it  the  name  of  Pouter.  The  bird  is  enabled 
to  inflate  its  crop  with  air  until  the  head  is  almost  hid^ 
den  behind  it.     This   inflation   sometimes   causes  the 


> 
o 
- 

O 

M 
I 

O 

- 

o 

s 

o 

0 
« 

H 


156  wood's  natural  history 

bird  to  lose  its  balance,  and  fall  down  chimneys  on 
which  it  is  fond  of  standing,  thereby  illustrating  the 
proverb  that  "  Pride  will  have  a  fall." 

The  Carrier  Pigeon  is  the  bird  that  is  still  largel 
employed  to  take  messages.  The  most  valuable  Carriers 
were  trained  to  carry  to  and  from  their  residence.  A 
letter  was  written  on  a  small  piece  of  paper,  and 
fastened  under  the  wing  of  the  pigeon,  or  to  its  feet. 
The  feet  were  then  bathed  in  vinegar  to  keep  them 
cool,  lest  the  bird  should  stop  on  the  way  to  bathe. 
When  the  pigeon  was  set  free,  it  rose  high  in  the  air, 
made  one  or  two  circular  flights,  and  then  darted  off 
like  an  arrow  in  the  proper  direction.  One  of  these 
birds  has  been  known  to  fly  nearly  one  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  in  one  hour. 

In  America  the  Wild  Pigeon  used  to  be  seen  in 
enormous  flocks,  which,  as  they  migrated,  really  hid 
the  sun,  destroyed  forests  miles  wide,  breaking  down 
the  branches  with  their  weight,  paid  wasting  the  crops 
far  and  wide.  This  bird  moves  with  extraordinary 
speed,  and  goes  enormous  distances.  Many  have  been 
killed  in  New  York  State  with  their  crops  full  of  rice 
that  they  must  have  eaten  in  Georgia.  That  means 
that  they  flew  three  hundred  miles  in  six  hours.  In 
1813  Audubon  says  the  air  was  literally  filled  with 
pigeons,  and  the  midday  sun,  darkened  as  in  an  eclipse, 
and  the  flocks  flew  over  him  in  countless  numbers  for 
three  whole  days.  But,  like  the  buffalo,  the  Wild 
Pigeon  is  nearly  exterminated. 

The  Peacock  is  well  known  for  its  magnificent  plu* 


PEACOCK    DISPLAYING 


158 


WOOD'S   NATURAL   HISTORY 


mage  and  its  brill- 
iantly colored  spread 
of  tail  feathers.  The 
gorgeous  plumes  do 
not  compose  the  tail, 
as  many  suppose,  but 
are  only  the  tail 
coverts.  The  tail 
feathers  themselves 
are  short  and  rigid, 
and  serve  to  keep  the 
train  spread,  as  may 
be  seen  when  the  bird 
walks  about  in  all 
the  majesty  of  his 
plumage. 

The  voice  of  the 
Peacock  is  as  un- 
pleasant and  unmu- 
sical as  its  external 
appearance  is  attrac- 
tive. 

The  train  of  the 
male  Peacock,  al- 
though popularly 
called  its  tail,  is  in 
reality  composed  of 
the  upper  tail  cov- 
erts, which  are  enor- 
mously lengthened, 


wood's  natural  history  159 

and  finished  at  their  extremities  with  broad  rounded 
webs,  or  with  spear-shaped  ends.  The  shafts  of  these 
feathers  are  almost  bare  of  web  for  some  fourteen  or 
fifteen  inches  of  their  length,  and  then  throw  out  a  num- 
ber of  long  loose  vanes  of  a  light  coppery  green.  These 
are  very  brittle  and  apt  to  snap  off  at  different  lengths. 
In  the  central  feathers  the  extremity  is  modified  into 
a  wide  flattened  battledore-shaped  form,  each  barbule 
being  colored  with  refulgent  emerald-green,  deep  violet- 
purple,  greenish-bronze,  gold  and  blue,  in  such  a  man- 
ner as  to  form  a  distinct  "  eye,"  the  centre  being  violet 
of  two  shades,  surrounded  with  emerald,  and  the  other 
tints  being  arranged  concentrically  around  it.  In  the 
feathers  that  edge  the  train  there  is  no  "  eye,"  the 
feathers  coming  to  a  point  at  the  extremity,  and  having 
rather  wide  but  loose  emerald-green  barbules  on  the 
outer  web,  and  a  few  scattered  coppery  barbules  in  the 
place  of  the  inner  web.  The  tail  feathers  are  only 
seven  or  eight  inches  in  length,  are  of  a  grayish-brown 
color,  and  can  be  seen  when  the  train  is  erected,  that 
being  their  appointed  task. 

On  the  head  is  a  tuft  or  aigrette  of  twenty-four  up- 
right feathers,  blackish  upon  their  almost  naked  shafts, 
and  rich  golden-green  shot  with  blue  on  their  expanded 
tips.  The  top  of  the  head,  the  throat,  and  neck  are 
the  most  refulgent  blue,  changing  in  different  lights 
to  gold  and  green.  On  the  back  the  feathers  are 
golden-green,  edged  with  velvety  black,  giving  a  pecul- 
iar richness  of  effect.  The  wings  are  darker  than  the 
rest  of  the  plumage,  the  quill  feathers  being  marked 


a    J^-ML 


wood's  natural  history  161 

with  black,  and  having  some  red  about  them.  The 
abdomen  is  blackish  with  a  green  gloss,  and  the  feathers 
of  the  thighs  are  fawn.  The  female  is  much  smaller 
than  her  mate,  and  not  nearly  so  beautiful,  the  train 
being  almost  wanting,  and  the  color  ashy  brown  with 
the  exception  of  the  throat  and  neck  which  are  green. 
A  white  or  albino  variety  of  this  bird  is  not  at  all 
uncommon,  and  in  this  case  the  characteristic  "  eyes  " 
are  faintly  indicated  in  neutral  tint. 

The  Common  Pheasant  is  a  hardy  bird,  and  bears 
the  cold  months  very  well.  Although  it  can  be  tamed, 
and  will  come  to  be  fed  with  the  poultry,  yet  an  innate 
timidity  prevents  it  from  being  thoroughly  domesti- 
cated. 

This  bird  loves  to  perch  at  night  on  trees,  especially 
on  the  spreading  branches  of  the  larch.  Poachers  are 
so  well  aware  of  this  habit  that  they  always  visit  the 
larches  first  while  on  their  marauding  excursions. 

A  few  spruce  firs  surrounded  b}^  dense  and  tall  holly 
hedges  form  an  excellent  place  of  refuge  for  the  birds, 
who  can  bid  the  poacher  defiance  from  their  strong- 
hold ;  while  a  few  dozen  wooden  pheasants  nailed  on 
the  branches  of  the  unguarded  trees  are  admirably 
adapted  for  trying  the  patience  and  wasting  the  ammu- 
nition of  the  nocturnal  plunderer. 

A  white  variety  of  the  Pheasant  sometimes  occurs, 
but  seems  never  to  be  propagated.  The  nest  of  the 
bird  is  made  on  the  ground,  and  contains  from  ten  to 
eighteen  eggs  of  a  uniform  dun  color. 

The  Pheasant  is  now  naturalized  throughout  a  great 


162  wood's  natural  histoby 

part  of  Europe.  It  is  very  beautifully  marked  with  a 
great  variety  of  changing  colors.  In  England  it  exists 
in  a  half -domesticated  state,  and  is  fattened  with  grain, 
attaining  sometimes  a  weight  of  five  pounds.  Pheas- 
ants are  collected  at  the  proper  time  in  large  numbers, 
and  slaughtered  by  so-called  sportsmen  en  battue.  The 
flesh  is  very  excellent  food.  This  bird  hybridize} 
readily  with  most  other  gallinaceous  birds.  The  name 
Pheasant  is  also  popularly  extended  in  some  parts  of  th< 
United  States  to  the  ruffed  grouse. 

The    Argus    Pheasant    is    a    genus   of    gallinaceous 
birds  remarkable  for  rich  and  brilliant  plumage.     Il 
is  a  native  of  Sumatra  and  other  parts  of  the  Easl 
Indies,  and  is  about  equal  in  size  to  a  common  barn- 
door fowl.     Two  of  the  tail  feathers  of  the  male  are 
about  four  feet  long.     The  name  Argus  is  given  in 
reference  to  the  beautiful  circular  eye-like  markings 
which  adorn  the  plumage  of  the  male,  especially  on 
the  secondaries  of  the  wings. 

The  Domestic  Fowls   are  too  well   known  to  need 
much  description. 

The  Game  Fowl  was  formerly  in  great  request  fo] 
the  cruel  sport  of  cock-fighting. 

The  Java  Fowl,  of  which  the  enormous  Cochin-Chinj 
bird  is  a  variety,  is  supposed  to  be  the  origin  of  th< 
barn-door  fowl.  The  cock  has  been  long  celebratei 
for  his  war-like  propensities,  and  his  habit  of  greet- 
ing the  approach  of  morn  by  his  "shrill  clarion." 

The  Bantam  is  a  very  little  bird  indeed,  but  exceed- 
ingly courageous,  and  does   not   hesitate  to  attack 


wood's  natural  history  163 

turkey  or  such  large  bird.  Some  Bantams  have  their 
legs  thickly  feathered  down  to  the  very  toes. 

The  Turkey  is  a  native  of  America,  and  appears 
to  have  been  imported  into  Europe  about  the  year 
1600.  It  is  partly  migratory  in  its  habits.  The 
march  is  usually  performed  on  foot,  the  birds  seldom 
using  their  wings  except  when  attacked,  or  in  order 
to  cross  a  river. 

The  Partridge  is  one  of  the  birds  included  in  the 
designation  of  "  game."  It  lays  from  fifteen  to  twenty 
eggs  in  a  rude  nest  placed  on  the  ground,  and  displays 
great  attachment  to  them,  and  no  small  ingenuity  in 
decoying  an  intruder  away. 

The  length  of  the  bird  is  twelve  inches  and  a  half; 
the  wing  is  short  and  rounded,  causing  the  peculiar 
whirring  sound  when  in  motion. 

The  Quail  (Bob  White,  so  called)  is  a  quite  common 
little  bird,  visiting  America  in  the  summer.  Countless 
flocks  of  them  are  spread  over  the  Southern  and  Middle 
States,  and  many  are  taken  and  sent  to  the  New  York 
markets. 

Temmick  states  that  hundreds  of  thousands  arrive 
in  Naples  and  Provence,  and  are  so  fatigued  that  for 
several  days  they  suffer  themselves  to  be  taken  by 
hand.  We  are  here  reminded  of  the  flight  of  Quails 
with  which  the  Israelites  were  fed,  the  sacred  nar- 
rative even  preserving  the  nocturnal  flight  of  these 
birds.  "  And  it  came  to  pass,  that  at  even  the  Quails 
came  up  and  covered  the  camp."  Probably  the  in- 
stinct to  fly  by  night   is   implanted  in  them  for  the 


164  WOODS   NATURAL    HISTORY 

purpose  of  avoiding  the  birds  of  prey  that  would 
attack  them  by  day.  The  female  lays  from  seven  to 
twelve  eggs  in  a  rude  nest  on  the  ground.  The  length 
of  the  bird  is  seven  inches. 

The  Black  Grouse,  or  Black  Cock,  is  still  found  on 
the  moors  of  Scotland  and  some  parts  of  England,  and, 
together  with  the  Red  Grouse,  tempts  innumerable 
sportsmen  annually  to  spend  their  leisure  months  on 
the  moors. 

The  Ptarmigan.  The  common  Ptarmigan  inhabits 
the  northern  parts  of  Europe  and  America,  and  is  also 
found  in  the  north  of  Scotland,  principally  among  the 
mountains.  The  color  of  the  bird  is  so  similar  to  that 
of  the  mossy  and  lichen-covered  rocks  among  which  it 
dwells,  that  a  whole  covey  easily  eludes  an  unprac- 
tised eye.     In  winter  it  turns  white. 

The  Australian  Jungle  Fowl  inhabits  the  dense 
thickets  bordering  on  the  seashore,  and  is  never  found 
far  inland. 

The  birds  of  this  family  are  all  remarkable  for  the 
shortness  of  their  wings,  which  are  weak  and  unable  to 
raise  them  from  the  ground,  but  appear  to  assist  them 
in  running. 

The  Ostrich.  The  Ostrich  is  the  largest  bird  as  yet 
known  to  exist,  its  height  being  from  six  to  eight  feet. 
It  is  an  inhabitant  of  Africa,  and  from  thence  the 
elegant  plumes  are  brought.  These  plumes  are  mostly 
obtained  from  the  wings  of  the  bird  and  not  from  the 
tail  as  is  generally  imagined. 

An  immense  number  of  eggs  are  laid  by  the  Ostriches 


OSTRICHES. 


166  wood's  natural  history 

in  one  spot,  several  birds  belonging  to  each  nest.  The 
eggs  are  very  large  and  strong,  and  are  in  general  use 
by  the  Bosjesmans  for  holding  water.  By  means  of 
these  eggs,  which  they  bury  at  intervals  in  the  sand, 
after  filling  them  with  water,  they  are  enabled  to  make 
inroads  across  the  desert  and  retreat  with  security,  as 
none  can  follow  them  for  want  of  water.  Each  egg  holds 
rather  more  than  five  pints.  An  excellent  omelet  is 
made  by  the  natives,  by  burying  the  fresh  egg  in  hot 
ashes,  and  stirring  round  the  contents  with  a  stick 
through  a  hole  in  the  upper  end,  until  thoroughly 
cooked. 

The  principal  strength  of  the  Ostrich  tribe  lies  in 
the  legs.  These  limbs  are  so  powerful  that  a  swift 
horse  has  great  difficulty  in  overtaking  the  bird.  As 
the  Ostrich  runs  mostly  in  large  curves,  the  hunters 
cut  across  and  intercept  the  bird,  which  would  in  all 
probability  escape  if  followed  in  its  exact  course.  It  is 
easily  tamed. 

The  Cassowary  is  a  native  of  the  eastern  parts  of 
Asia.  Like  the  ostrich  it  cannot  fly,  but  runs  with 
great  swiftness,  and  if  attacked  by  dogs  kicks  with 
•  extreme  force  and  rapidity. 

The  Emeu  is  a  native  of  New  Holland,  and  nearly 
equals  the  ostrich  in  bulk,  its  height  being  between 
five  and  six  feet.  Its  feathers  lie  loosely  on  the  body, 
and  its  wings  are  small  and  hardly  to  be  distinguished. 
The  skin  of  the  Emeu  furnishes  a  "bright  and  clear  oil, 
on  which  account  it  is  eagerly  sought  after. 

In  its  manners  the  Emeu  bears  a  close  resemblance  to 


AUSTRALIAN    CASSOWARY 


168 


WOOD  S    NATURAL    HISTORY 


the  ostrich.  Its  food  appears  to  be  wholly  vegetable, 
consisting  chiefly  of  fruits,  roots,  and  herbage,  and  it 
is  consequently,  notwithstanding  its  great  strength,  per- 


EMEU    AND    CHICKS 


fectly  inoffensive.  The  length  of  its  legs  and  the  mus- 
cularity of  its  thighs  enable  it  to  run  with  great  swift- 
ness ;  and  as  it  is  exceedingly  sh}^,  it  is  not  easily 
overtaken  or  brought  within  gun-shot. 

The  Apteryx.     This  extraordinary  bird,  whose  name 


wood's  natural  history 


169 


is  derived  from  the  apparent  absence  of  wings,  those 
members  being  merely  rudimentary,  inhabits  the  islands 
of  New  Zealand.  It  conceals  itself  among  the  densest 
fern,  and  when  hunted  by  dogs,  it  hastens  to  seek  a 
refuge   among   rocks   and  in  the   chambers   which  it 


THE    DODO 


excavates  in  the  earth.  This  bird  has  a  singular  habit 
of  resting  with  the  top  of  its  bill  placed  on  the 
ground. 

The  Dodo.  This  singular  bird,  which  is  now  extinct, 
was  discovered  in  the  Mauritius  by  the  earlier  voyagers. 
Sir  T.  Hubert,  in  the  year  1627,  writes:  — 

"  The  Dodo,  a  bird  the  Dutch  call  Walghvogle,  or 
Dod  Eersen;  her  body  is  round  and  fat,  which  occasions 


170  wood's  natural  history 

the  slow  pace,  or  that  her  corpulencie,  and  so  great  as 
few  of  them  weigh  less  than  fifty  pounds." 

The  representation  given  by  him  is  that  of  a  globular- 
shaped  bird,  perfectly  naked,  with  the  exception  of 
three  separate  feathers  on  the  tail,  and  a  few  feathers 
on  the  wing. 

It  is  still  within  the  range  of  possibility  that  this 
bird  may  again  be  discovered,  as  at  present  but  little  of 
Madagascar  has  been  searched,  and  in  that  island,  if 
anywhere,  it  will  be  found. 

The  Great  Bustard.  The  male  Bustard  possesses  a 
membranous  pouch  on  the  fore  part  of  the  neck,  ca- 
pable of  holding  six  or  seven  pints  of  water.  There  is 
an  opening  to  this  pouch  under  the  tongue,  and  its  use 
is  possibly,  like  that  of  the  pelican,  to  carry  water  for 
the  need  of  the  young  ;  but  this  is  not  ascertained. 

The  Plovers.  The  Golden  Plover  is  very  common 
in  most  parts  of  the  United  States,  and  is  well  known 
from  its  plaintive  cry,  and  the  stratagems  it  employs 
to  decoy  intruders  away  from  its  nest,  or  rather  eggs,  for 
nest  it  has  none.  Frequently,  however,  the  attempts 
of  the  bird  only  draw  the  attention  of  the  passerby  to 
the  evident  vicinity  of  the  eggs.  These  eggs  are  dark 
brown,  blotched  with  black,  and  are  hardly  to  be  dis- 
tinguished from  the  soil  where  they  are  laid. 

The  Common  Crane  is  now  but  rarely  seen.  It  gen- 
erally feeds  on  snails,  frogs,  and  worms,  but  is  not  by 
any  means  averse  to  newly  sown  grain. 

The  Heron.  The  Common  Heron  generally  breeds 
in  company.     In    the  dawn  of  the  early  morning,  or 


wood's  natural  history 


171 


while  the  moon  casts  an  uncertain  light,  the  Heron  may 
be  seen  standing  in  the  shallow  water,  stiff  and  motion^ 
less,  and  by  the  faint  light  may  be  mistaken  for  a  stump 


COMMON    CRANE 


of  a  tree.  But  his  eye  is  keenly  directed  on  the  water, 
and  no  sooner  does  a  fish  approach  than  a  dart  of  his 
unerring  bill  secures  it,  and  the  Heron  soars  exultingly 
to  his  nest,  bearing  his  prey  with  him. 

The  Bittern.     It  frequents  morasses  and  dense  beds 


172 


WOOD  S   NATURAL   HISTORY 


of  reeds,  where  it  lies  concealed  until  evening,  when  it 
leaves  its  rushy  bed  and  soars  to  a  vast  height,  continu- 
ally uttering  its  sepulchral  booming  cry.  This  singular 
sound  is  not  unlike  the  bellowing  of  a  bull. 


WHITE    SPOONBILL 


The  White  Spoonbill.  The  Common  Spoonbill  is 
found  in  Europe,  Asia,  and  Africa,  and  frequents  Hol- 
land, together  with  the  stork.  The  strange  shape  of 
the  tip  of  its  beak  has  gained  it  the  name  of  Spoon- 
bill. 

It  has  rarely  been  taken  in  this  country.     It  feeds  on 


EAST  AFFTCAN   CRANE. 


174 


WOOD  S   NATURAL    HISTOBY 


worms,  snails,  and  water  plants,  searching  for  the  latter 
by  agitating  the  water  with  its  broad  beak. 


WHITE    STORK 


The  nest  of  the  White  Spoonbill  is  sometimes  placed 
in  trees,  and  sometimes  amid  rushes.  The  length  of 
the  bird  is  not  quite  three  feet. 


wood's  natural  history 


175 


The  Stork  is  extensively  found  in  Europe,  Asia,  and 
Africa.     In  Holland  storks  are  very  abundant,  and  are 


jngij|ClKigBjBgBg 


1 


i=iT  ^S&2**2&3 


^^@i-^^^^ffi?fl^^#^^il¥"?^: 


GREAT    WHITE    HERON 


encouraged  by  the  Dutch  to  build  in  their  towns.  A 
kind  of  false  chimney  is  built  by  the  inhabitants  for 
these  birds  to  make  their  nests  in. 


176  wood's  natural  history 

When  the  Stork  cannot  find  a  building  on  which  to 
make  its  nest,  it  chooses  the  flat  spreading  branches  of 
a  cedar  or  pine,  and  there  collects  a  large  mass  of  sticks 
and  twigs,  on  which  it  lays  from  three  to  five  whitish 
eggs.  When  disturbed,  the  birds  make  a  great  clatter- 
ing with  their  bills. 

The  food  of  this  bird  consists  of  rats,  mice,  frogs, 
etc.,  and  it  is  for  the  benefit  it  confers  upon  man  by 
devouring  these  vermin  that  it  is  so  carefully  protected 
and  encouraged,  especially  in  the  East,  where  the  in- 
habitants do  not  trouble  themselves  by  removing  car- 
rion or  offal,  but  leave  that  office  to  the  vultures, 
hyenas,  and  other  scavengers  of  nature.  The  height  of 
the  Stork  is  nearly  four  feet. 

The  African  Adjutant,  sometimes  called  the  Mara- 
bou, has  a  large  pouch  on  the  front  of  the  throat, 
which  perhaps  does  duty  for  a  crop.  The  body  is 
large,  the  neck  and  head  are  without  feathers,  the  beak 
is  very  large  and  strong,  the  legs  are  of  great  length. 
The  plumage  is  rough  and  untidy,  dark  on  the  back, 
white  on  the  front,  while  the  tail  supplies  the  marabou 
feathers.  The  bird  walks  in  a  very  stately,  solemn 
manner  as  if  every  step  was  measured,  and  from  this 
habit  derives  its  English  military  title  of  Adjutant, 
while  the  Germans  call  it  the  Senator  or  the  Dresscoat 
Bird.  It  is  very  common  in  the  Soudan,  and  a  similar 
species  is  found  in  India. 

The  Sacred  Ibis  inhabits  Egypt,  but  does  not  seem 
to  breed  there.  It  is  a  migratory  bird,  appearing 
simultaneously  with  the  vise  of  the  Nile,  and  departing 


AW 


NIGHT    HERON    AND    BOATBILL, 


178 


wood's  natural  history 


as  the  inundation  subsides.     It  is  about  the  size  of  an 
ordinary  fowl. 

The  Curlew  is  spread  over  the  whole  of  the   Old 
World,  from  South  Africa  to  the  polar  regions.     In 


THE    SACRED    IBIS 


winter  it  collects  in  large  flocks  on  the  muddy  shores 
of  the  sea,  where  its  long  curved  bill  can  easily  pene- 
trate in  search  of  food. 

The  Avocet.     The  bill  in  this  bird  is  exactly  the 
reverse  of  that  of  the  Curlew,  the  curve  being  upward 


THE  ADJUTANT 


180  wood's  natural  history 

instead  of  downward.  The  Common  Avocet  is  spread 
throughout  the  warmer  regions  of  Europe,  and  is  also 
found  in  some  parts  of  Africa.  It  is  very  common  in 
Holland.  It  frequents  marshes  and  the  mouths  oi 
rivers. 

The  Woodcock  frequents  dense  thickets  during  the 
day,  but  at  night  it  leaves  these  retreats,  and  visits  the 
swamps  and  flooded  meadows,  where  it  finds  a  suffi- 
ciency of  worms  and  insects. 

The  -nest  of  this  bird  is  a  loose  mass  of  grass  and 
leaves,  gathered  together  in  some  sheltered  depression. 
The  eggs  are  four  in  number,  of  a  yellowish-brown, 
blotched  with  dark  brown  and  gray. 

The  Snipe  in  its  habits  much  resembles  the  wood- 
cock. Its  flight  is  very  singular,  rendering  it  a  difficult 
mark. 

The  Corncrake,  or  Landrail,  is  very  common  in 
England.  During  the  early  part  of  the  summer  months 
its  harsh  cry  may  be  heard  in  almost  every  field,  but 
the  bird  itself  is  very  seldom  seen. 

The  Water-hen,  or  Moor-hen,  is  very  common  along 
the  reedy  banks  of  rivers  and  ponds.  It  is  very  widely 
distributed,  being  found  in  almost  all  parts  of  the  Old 
World.  It  swims  very  gracefully,  constantly  nodding 
its  head,  and  dives  with  great  skill  and  rapidity,  par- 
ticularly when  alarmed,  in  which  case  it  generally  dives 
under  some  floating  herbage. 

The  Flamingo  is  an  inhabitant  of  the  warmer  parts  of 
Europe,  and  is  common  in  Asia  and  the  coasts  of  Africa. 
The  singularly  shaped  beak  of   this   splendid   bird  is 





IT'  »o» 


Black  Swan. 


182 


wood's  natural  history 


peculiarly  adapted  to  its  long  and  flexible  neck.  When 
the  bird  wishes  to  feed,  it  merely  stoops  its  head  into1 
the  water  ;  the  upper  mandible  is  then  lowest,  and  is! 
well  fitted   to  receive   the  nutritive   substances  which 


AVOCETS 


are  entangled  in  a  filter  placed  on  the  edges  of  the 
beak. 

The  color  of  its  plumage  is  a  deep  brilliant  scarlet, 
except  the  quill  feathers,  which  are  black.  When  a 
number  of  these  birds  stand  ranged  in  a  line,  according 
to  their  custom,  they  present  the  appearance  of  a  small 
and  well-drilled  body  x>i  soldiers. 


wood's  natural  history 


183 


The  Mute  or  Tame  Swan  is  a  well-known  ornament  to 
our  lakes  and  rivers.     All  are  familiar  with  the  graceful 


EUROPEAN    FLAMINGO 


deportment  of  this  bird  while  sailing  on  the  surface  of 
the  water.     Unfortunately,  its  progress  on  land  by  no 


184  wood's  natural  history 

means  corresponds  with  its  aquatic  grace,  being  confined 
to  an  awkward  waddle. 

The  Black  Swan  is  found  in  Australia.  The  whole 
of  its  plumage  is  a  jetty  black,  with  the  exception  of  the 
quill  feathers,  which  are  white. 

The  Mallard,  or  Wild  Duck,  is  the  origin  of 
our  domestic  bird,  and  is  widely  spread  over  the 
northern  parts  of  Europe,  Asia,  and  America.  In  the 
winter  it  migrates  in  countless  flocks  to  the  warmer 
States. 

The  Divers  are  remarkable  for  their  powers  of  diving. 
The  legs  are  placed  very  far  behind,  and  the  toes  are 
so  arranged  as  to  fold  up  when  returning  from  the 
stroke. 

The  foot  of  the  Grebes  is  not  webbed  like  that  of 
most  water  birds,  but  each  toe  is  separated  and  flattened, 
so  as  to  serve  as  a  separate  paddle. 

The  Puffin  is  an  excellent  diver,  plunging  fearlessly 
from  a  lofty  cliff  into  the  sea,  and  speedily  returning 
with  its  beak  full  of  fish,  usually  sprats,  which  are  se- 
cured by  their  heads,  and  lie  in  a  row  along  the  bill 
of  the  Puffin,  forming  a  kind  of  piscatorial  fringe. 
Its  enormous  and  sharp-edged  bill  renders  it  a  for- 
midable antagonist  to  intruders. 

The  Cape  Penguin  is  very  common  at  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope  and  the  Falkland  Islands.  From  the  ex- 
traordinary sound  it  produces  while  on  shore,  it  is 
called  the  Jackass  Penguin.  In  diving,  its  little 
plumeless  wings  are  used  as  fins,  but  on  the  land  as 
front  legs. 


Wild  Ducks, 


186 


WOOD  S   NATURAL   HISTORY 


The   Stormy  Petrel  is,  under  the  name  of   Mother 
Carey's    Chicken,   the   terror  of    the   sailor,   who 
ways  considers  the  bird  as  the  precursor  of  a  ston 


THE    GIANT    PETREL 


It  is  the  smallest  of  the  web-footed  birds.  Few 
storms  are  violent  enough  to  keep  this  curious  lit- 
tle bird  from  wandering  over  the  waves  in  search 
of  the  food  that  the  disturbed  water  casts  to  the 
surface. 


wood's  natural  history  187 

The  Wandering  Albatross,  the  largest  of  the  genus, 
is  a  well-known  bird  in  the  southern  seas,  following 
ships  for  many  miles.  The  flight  of  this  bird  is 
peculiarly  majestic.  Its  extreme  length  of  wing  pre- 
vents it  from  rising  at  once  from  the  ground,  but  when 
once  launched  into  the  air  it  seems  to  float  and  direct 
its  course  without  effort. 

The  Black-backed  Gull  is  a  common  bird  on  our 
coasts.  Its  nest  is  composed  of  grass,  rushes,  and 
other  materials,  and  contains  three  or  four  eggs,  of 
an  olive  green  marked  with  very  dark  brown.  Neither 
the  gulls  nor  the  terns  dive,  but  snatch  up  their  prey 
when  at  or    near  the  surface. 

The  Terns,  or  Sea  Swallows,  are  possessed  of 
great  power  and  endurance  of  flight,  their  long  forked 
tails  and  pointed  wings  indicating  strength  and  swift- 
ness. 

The  Common  Tern  is  found  in  plenty  along  the 
southern  shores  of  Europe,  in  many  parts  of  Asia 
and  Africa.  It  is  frequently  seen  on  the  southern 
shores  of  England,  and  in  North  America.  It  preys 
on  fish,  which  it  snatches  from  the  surface  with  un- 
erring aim,  as  it  skims  over  the  waves  with  astonishing 
velocity. 

The  Cormorant  is  exceedingly  voracious,  and  devours 
an  almost  incredible  amount  of  fish.  It  is  an  ex- 
cellent diver,  and  chases  the  fish  actually  under  the 
water,  seldom  if  ever  returning  without  having  secured 
its  prey.  Like  the  otter,  when  engaged  in  chase  it 
occasionally  rises  to  take  breath,  and  then  resumes  the 


188 


WOOD  S   NATURAL   HISTORY 


pursuit  with  renewed  vigor.  It  has  the  power  of  perch- 
ing on  trees,  an  accomplishment  which  we  should  hardly 
suspect  a  web-footed  bird  of  possessing. 

The  Cormorant  is  easily  tamed,  and  its  fishing  pro- 


BLACK-HEADED   GULL 


pensities  can  be  turned  to  good  account.  The  Chinese, 
at  the  present  day,  employ  a  kind  of  Cormorant  for 
that  purpose,  having  previously  placed  a  ring  round 
the  bird's  neck  to  prevent  it  from  swallowing  the  fish. 
Its  length  is  about  three  feet. 

The  White   Pelican   inhabits  Africa,  India,   and  a 


WOOD  S   NATURAL    HISTORY 


189 


great  part  of  the  southeastern  portions  of  Europe. 
It  is  a  very  conspicuous  bird,  its  singular  membra- 
nous pouch  offering  a  distinction  perfectly  unmistak- 
able.     The  pouch,  when  distended,  holds  two  gallons 


•- 


>s^**St{£ 


COMMON    CORMORANT 


of  water,  but  the  bird  has  the.  power  of  contracting  it 
so  that  it  can  scarcely  be  discerned. 

The  pouch  serves  as  a  net  in  which  to  scoop  up  the 
fish  on  which  the  Pelican  feeds. 

Another  most  important  use  of  the  pouch  is  to  con- 
vey food  to  the  young.     The  parent  Pelican  presses 


190 


WOOD  S   NATURAL   HISTORY 


the  pouch   against  its  breast,  in  order  to  enable  the 
young  to  obtain  the  fish ;    which  action,  in  all  proba- 


EUROPEAN    PELICAN 


bility,  gave  rise  to  the  fable  of  the  Pelican  feeding 
its  young  with  its  own  blood.  The  red  tip  of  the  bill 
probably  aided  the  deception. 


wood's  natural  history   ,  191 

Although  a  web-footed  bird,  the  Pelican,  like  the 
cormorant,  can  perch  on  trees,  although  it  prefers  sit- 
ting on  rocks.  Its  color  is  a  pure  white,  with  a  very 
slight  tinge  of  rose  color,  and  the  pouch  is  yellow, 
Its  length  is  nearly  six  feet. 


